…SEMA Blames Politics, Denies Food Shortage claim
Hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) on Tuesday took to the streets in Benue State, barricading the Makurdi–Lafia expressway to protest what they described as prolonged hunger and abandonment by the government.
The demonstrators, mostly women and children from the Maga IDP camp in Mbayongo, on the outskirts of Makurdi, halted traffic along the busy route for hours, demanding urgent intervention.
Holding tree branches and chanting slogans like “We are hungry” and “We want to go back home,” the IDPs accused the government of failing to meet their basic needs.
The protest came barely 24 hours after Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, visited the state and announced a N1 billion donation for the welfare and resettlement of displaced persons in Benue.
One of the protesters, Rebecca Awuse, told journalists that the conditions in the camp had become unbearable.
“We are tired of suffering. We want to go back to our homes. There is no food, no medicine, nothing. This protest is the only way to make our voices heard,” she lamented.
However, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) dismissed the protest as politically motivated.
Speaking to journalists, BSEMA Information Officer, Tema Ager, said the protest was instigated by political actors hoping to exploit the First Lady’s visit.
“The IDPs are not being starved. Food is being provided,” Ager insisted. “The protest was triggered by political interests, especially after the First Lady announced the donation of N1 billion, which is meant for resettlement, not immediate food distribution.”
He explained that many displaced persons from other camps, particularly in Yelewata, had been migrating to the International Market camp in Makurdi to benefit from the resources there.
“Even when food is delivered to their original camps, they still move to Makurdi for more,” he said.
When asked when food was last distributed to the camps, Ager admitted that the last statewide distribution occurred in May, but said a new round of food distribution was already ongoing.
As of the time of filing this report, normalcy had returned to the area, but the protest has further exposed the worsening humanitarian situation in the state and the growing frustration among displaced communities.
Benue is home to one of Nigeria’s largest IDP populations, driven largely by years of herder-farmer conflict and armed attacks on rural communities.
Despite multiple interventions by both federal and state authorities, most IDPs remain stuck in camps with little or no access to education, healthcare, and livelihood.
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