The Benue government announced on Monday that it has begun the resettlement of victims of the June 2025 Erewata attack.
The Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Deborah Abah, in a press conference in Makurdi monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria, disclosed that the internally displaced persons were returning home.
Abah, who is also the Chairman of Benue’s Special Committee on Donations to Internally Displaced Persons, said the state government received donations totaling N1.25 billion from four donors.
The SSG said the committee has already accomplished more than 85% of its mandate.
He listed the donors as Senator Oluremi Tinubu (1 billion naira), Nasarawa State Government (150 million naira), African Union Bank (100 million naira) and Director-General of DSS (25 million naira), bringing the total amount to 1.27 billion naira.
Mr Abah explained that the fund is aimed at supporting all victims of attacks in the state, not just those from Erewata.
He further said that Governor Hyacinth Arya had set up a committee to effectively utilize the funds to meet the needs of the people.
She said the committee aggregated needs across food, health, housing, education, livelihoods and water.
Mr Abah said 56 million naira had been allocated for cash transfer. N224m for nutrition and food; N125m for water, sanitation and hygiene; N56m for security. N56m for agricultural use. N277m for resettlement; N112m for health.
She added that N16m was earmarked for peace and reconciliation. N127m for the host community; and N148m for education.
“Working with our international partners, we have come up with a resettlement model that is acceptable around the world.
“The organization aims to help people settle into decent homes close to farms and continue to make a living.
“We have land allocated for this purpose. We had a commitment to build 60 houses for the displaced people of Erewata.
“Sixty houses cannot accommodate internally displaced people, but that is what the fund can do. Thirty-eight of the 60 two-bedroom houses are at the roofing stage, and three of them have roofs already installed.”
“The state will use this model to begin relocating people to more dignified housing closer to their ancestral homes so that their lives can have some semblance of normalcy,” she said.
Mr Abaa explained that beneficiary mapping was done to collate data and ensure funds reach the intended recipients.
She said host communities were also accompanied during the data collation, noting that in some locations, displaced people were living with host communities rather than in camps.
Mr Abah also revealed that 5,883 IDPs are enrolled in the Benue State Health Insurance Board and are paid a premium of N10,000 per person to receive medical care.
The committee also said it had provided water to some of the affected areas.
“The funds earmarked for education are being used to build four classrooms in Erewata and provide textbooks and school bags to students.
“We are grateful to our partners. As we speak, UNHCR is building a world-class clinic in Erewata,” she said.
