The Benue State Government has announced plans to shut down some Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across the state following improved security conditions and the voluntary return of displaced residents to their communities.
Governor Hyacinth Alia disclosed this during a media interaction with the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team led by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The team was in Benue to inspect completed and ongoing infrastructure projects being executed by both the federal and state governments across the 23 local government areas of the state.
According to the governor, interventions by the federal government and strengthened security measures have restored relative peace in several affected communities, allowing displaced persons to return home and resume farming activities
Alia said the state government was monitoring the security situation through reports from security agencies, traditional rulers, and residents to determine the safety of communities for returnees.
He recalled that 15 IDP camps were established in different parts of Benue following violent attacks that forced many residents to flee their homes.
However, the governor noted that the changing security situation had encouraged many displaced persons to return voluntarily.
“We are already making some plans to close down some because the IDP occupants have voluntarily gone back to do their farming,” Alia said.
He explained that the state government was working with international partners, including the United Nations and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), to find lasting solutions to the displacement crisis.
The governor stressed that the aim was not just to return people to their communities but to ensure that proper security and social conditions were in place to prevent them from being displaced again.
Alia added that the declining number of people in the camps was a positive sign, noting that some returnees had moved beyond farming to rebuilding homes destroyed or abandoned during the period of displacement.
He expressed optimism that sustained security efforts would enable residents to remain in their communities, restore their livelihoods, and contribute to the growth of Benue’s agricultural sector.
Samuel Agada is a writer and media contributor from Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. He is a graduate of Biochemistry from the University of Jos and a former banker with GTBank and FCMB. A prolific writer, songwriter, educator, and Gospel preacher, he is passionate about informing, inspiring, and impacting society through his work.