By 
By Onyilokwu David Adeyi
Benue State, once celebrated as Nigeria’s Food Basket, is now a shadow of its former self. For decades, its yam heaps, rice fields, and orange groves fed not only its people but markets in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and across West Africa. Farming was more than an occupation here, it was identity, culture, and survival. Today, insecurity has torn that story apart. Farmers have fled, fields lie abandoned, and food prices rise for everyone.
The numbers tell a grim tale
The numbers tell a grim tale. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 480,000 people are displaced in Benue as of mid‑2026. Amnesty International puts the figure at over 500,000, while state officials claim up to 1.5 million people have been uprooted.
Local NGOs say more than 5,700 lives have been lost since 2011, with 270 deaths recorded in just three months of 2025. These statistics are not just figures, they represent families torn apart, livelihoods destroyed, and communities living in fear.
The June 2025 Yelwata massacre remains the starkest symbol of this crisis. Armed attackers stormed the farming settlement near Makurdi, moving from house to house, setting homes ablaze, and killing residents as they slept. Casualty figures vary: the governor reported 59 deaths, rights groups listed over 100, and community leaders believe the toll may have exceeded 200. Nearly 4,000 residents fled overnight, joining the swelling ranks of the displaced. Federal prosecutors charged nine men with terrorism, but survivors remain in camps, haunted by trauma and unable to return home.
Benue’s camps a daily struggle
Life in Benue’s camps is a daily struggle. In Makurdi, over 13,000 people live without a functioning health facility. UNICEF‑supported clinics have shut down, boreholes have collapsed, and sanitation is so poor that cholera outbreaks are feared. Shelter is flimsy, food distribution irregular, and women and girls face heightened risks of exploitation and trafficking. “We are trapped between hunger and fear,” one camp resident said, summing up the despair.
Financial mismanagement compounds the suffering. Investigations revealed ₦5.8 billion in IDP funds unaccounted for, even as welfare needs remain unmet. Meanwhile, ₦128 billion in unspent funds carried into 2026 highlight a troubling gap between budget allocations and actual relief. For displaced families, this means promises on paper but little change on the ground.
Fed response slow and reactive
Federal response has been slow and reactive. Pledges of resettlement funds remain largely unfulfilled, and security forces often arrive only after attackers have fled. Rights groups warn that impunity is fueling continued violence. Amnesty International has called for rapid‑response security systems linked to communities, stressing that prevention not reaction must guide policy.
The path forward is clear but urgent. Experts and rights groups insist on establishing state‑level policing and early‑warning systems to prevent attacks before they happen. Fiscal transparency must be enforced so that funds reach those who need them.
Health and water facilities in camps must be restored, prosecutions expedited to show that attacks carry consequences, and durable solutions such as safe return, resettlement, or integration must be pursued instead of leaving camps as permanent homes.
Benue’s farmers once fed the nation. Today, they are displaced, hungry, and waiting for justice. Without decisive action, Nigeria risks losing not just its “Food Basket,” but the lives and livelihoods of millions who depend on it.
Adeyi is with Intern. Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja. Nigeria.
