The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State have raised alarm over worsening living conditions and alleged neglect by authorities following violent attacks that left more than 200 dead.
The recent crisis in Yelewata community, located in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, has forced hundreds of survivors into makeshift shelters at the Makurdi International Ultra Modern Market.
The displaced persons, who lost their homes in the attacks by suspected armed herders, took to the streets of Makurdi in a peaceful protest, calling for urgent government intervention in their deteriorating conditions.
On Monday, the IDPs, mostly women and children, blocked parts of the busy Abu King Shuluwa Road in Makurdi, holding placards and chanting protest songs. They voiced anger over the scarcity of food and claimed the government had abandoned them to suffer in squalor.
“They brought us here from our community but left us in hunger. Even the money that was donated to us by Senator Akume nobody has given us anything. So, we want them to either treat us well or return us back to our community. It is better for us that way,” one protester, Liambe, stated.
Despite the outcry, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) dismissed the protest as politically driven. According to BSEMA’s administrative officer, Dr. Donald Komgbenda, the demonstration was instigated by individuals who were not part of the original group registered at the shelter.
He noted: “It was a sponsored protest. When we came to this camp, the people that we brought to the camp were about 190, which is about 101 households… suddenly it became about 3,541.” Komgbenda explained that food was being distributed in blocks after proper profiling and room allocation. “We cannot just start sharing food without knowing how many households we have,” he added.
Following the massacre, President Bola Tinubu paid a condolence visit to Benue, but several public figures have criticized the nature of the trip. Former presidential candidate Peter Obi expressed disappointment, noting that the visit lacked the solemnity expected of a leader mourning the death of hundreds of citizens.
“We pleaded that the President should show leadership and visit Benue… But what we saw in the Benue visit was instead of a solemn, reflective visit, a display that would have been more befitting for the commissioning of reconstructed Enugu-Makurdi highway,” Obi posted on X.
Similarly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the visit as a “political show” rather than a sincere expression of empathy. His media aide, Paul Ibe, said: “Children were lined up on the highway, waving at the president in the rain… The same security agencies that failed to prevent this tragedy were quick to tear-gas peaceful protesters.”
Lagos-based lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, also reacted, saying, “It would have been better if the President didn’t go… All the president had to offer were mere windows into his pre-occupation and what truly concerns his aides and assistants.”
In response to the tragedy, President Tinubu has directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, to lead a committee of stakeholders, traditional leaders, and former governors to find lasting solutions to the crisis.
Senator Abdul-Aziz Yari, representing Zamfara West, assured citizens that the president would act. “He meant what he said and said what he meant. They will not get away with this,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Trust Fund’s Executive Secretary, Femi Sheidu, urged security agencies to ensure the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice. “Violence against these Nigerians… must never be normalized,” Sheidu noted.
