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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has called for global intervention to the humanitarian crisis bedeviling the state saying over 1.5million people are currently chased from their homes.
Governor Alia made this call when he received officials from the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, (USBHA), at government house in Makurdi.
Governor Alia who was quoting from the 2022 Internally Displaced Person, IDP report, said the over 1.5 million displaced people have no access to potable water and other necessities of life.
He stated that the government and people of Benue state have been threatened by insecurity due to herdsmen attacks, kidnapping and armed banditry activities.
He explained that on assumption of office, it’s government has encountered enormous humanitarian crisis occasioned by various forms of attacks and natural disasters.
“Benue state has continued to experience intense conflicts and tensions as a result of herders/farmers clashes, kidnapping, armed banditry which have disrupted the agrarian lives of our people.
“insecurity is yielding a growing concern in our state. However, our administration is committed to finding lasting solutions to these disputes and fostering peaceful coexistence among all residents in the state.
“Towards this end, we decided to adopt the “three Rs, Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Rebuilding in the affected areas of the state.
“My administration is working assiduously to resettle the Internally Displaced Persons back to their ancestral homes”, he said.
He appreciated the officials of the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and the International Organization for Migrant, (IOM) for coming to the aid of the state.
He called on other development partners working in the state to support his administration and develop a comprehensive template to bring lasting solutions to the humanitarian crisis in the state.
Earlier, the leader of delegation and Senior Humanitarian Advisor to USBHA, Patrick Robinson, said they were in Benue to access the humanitarian situation and to see areas they could assist in resolving the crisis.
He maintained that USBHA had been intervening in humanitarian crisis in North East since 2016, adding that the organization had also rendered tremendous assistance to government of Borno state and currently intervening in humanitarian crisis in the North West geo political zone of Nigeria.
He appreciated Governor Alia for the warm reception accorded them assuring that USBHA would help the state in addressing the humanitarian challenges.
Also speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary, Benue State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA), Sir James Iorpuu, said his office had put up a resettlement data plan that will also be submitted to government for immediate actions.
As at the time of filing this report, the team had visited three IDP camps; Ichwa and Baka in Makurdi LGA and Uikpam in Guma LGA of the state.
