Amid ongoing efforts to address communal violence in central Nigeria, Benue State authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting displaced communities and ensuring their safe return to ancestral lands. During a high-profile visit to a crowded displacement camp in Makurdi on July 22, Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh, Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, delivered a direct message to hundreds uprooted by recent attacks: “No one will take your land.”
The pledge came during a legislative fact-finding mission to assess conditions at the International Market Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, which currently shelters survivors from Yelewata village. According to local media reports, armed assailants—widely described as Fulani herders—stormed the rural community on June 13, killing multiple residents, injuring others, and forcing hundreds to flee. The incident mirrors long-standing tensions in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where competition over land and resources frequently escalates into fatal clashes between farmers and pastoralists.
Dajoh emphasized coordinated efforts between state lawmakers and Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia’s administration to secure displaced families’ rights. “We are working to ensure your protection, dignified return, and full resettlement,” he stated, condemning the violence as “unacceptable.” Officials highlighted rapid government intervention, including the establishment of the Makurdi camp within days of the attack, as evidence of their responsiveness.
The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) received praise for its mobilization of food, medical supplies, and temporary housing despite strained resources. However, Dajoh urged vigilance in aid distribution, directing SEMA’s Executive Secretary James Iorpuu to guarantee transparency: “Assistance must reach people directly, without compromise.”
Lawmakers conducted spot inspections of camp facilities and listened to testimonies from displaced residents, many of whom described fleeing under gunfire and losing homes and livelihoods. While specific casualty figures remain unconfirmed, the scale of displacement underscores persistent security challenges in the region.
Benue State, nicknamed Nigeria’s “Food Basket” for its agricultural output, has seen recurring cycles of violence that destabilize rural economies and deepen humanitarian needs. The latest assurances from state leaders aim to temper fears of permanent dispossession among affected communities. Yet with thousands still living in camps across the state, questions linger about the timeline for safe returns and the implementation of long-term solutions to address root causes of the conflict.
