Benue State Government has lamented recent attacks on Benue farming communities following continued activities of suspected herdsmen in the state.
The Executive Secretary of State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA), Mr. Emmanuel Shior who spoke to members of the Correspondents’ chapel, in his office, said there are still pocket of attacks on some Benue communities, especially those on the river banks.
He said the communities include Torkula and Iordye in Guma local government area, Obi LGA, parts of Agatu as well as Moon community in Kwande. “As we speak now, most people have left their homes and are currently staying in Jato Aka”, he said.
Shior noted that there are over 500,000 IDPs in the state taking shelter in eight Internally Displaced persons IDP camps in the state while many others are living with relatives in the neighbouring communities.
He regretted that the continuous attacks and killings has made it difficult for government to close the camps and allow the IDPs to return to their ancestral homes and appealed to the federal government to improve on the security in the hinterlands.
He said government is, however, working out modalities to better care for the IDPs just as they have put in place an IDP Disengagement plan to return them back home.
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He said the IDPs, who are majorly farmers, have stayed in the camps for more than two years and their continued stay of over 500,000 farmers in camps will lead to major food and other forms of crisis in the country.
Shior appealed to the federal government to make real their pledge of N10billion reconstruction fund to states to enable Benue government to rebuild and relocate the IDPs back home.
He noted that the state is also grappling with catering for the Cameroonian refugees.
According to him, the international laws on refugees, requires that “once they are here, we cannot drive them away. The federal government is working hard to take care of them but as the host state, we are required to provide them with land for their shelter and farming activities and government has done that but we need help to be able to provide for their needs,” Shior said.
