The European Union has allocated €500,000 (around ₦886 million) in humanitarian aid to help people displaced by ongoing violence in Benue State, located in North-Central Nigeria
The funding, directed through the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), will support emergency operations over a six-month period.
This aid package targets urgent needs, including protection services, emergency shelters, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene support.
It also includes direct cash assistance to help vulnerable households meet basic daily needs.
The intervention comes as communities in Benue face deepening hardship due to continued armed violence.
In June 2025 alone, nearly 23,000 people were newly displaced by a series of attacks, many of whom had already been uprooted by earlier violence.
This has added to a growing population caught in repeated cycles of displacement.
Conditions in makeshift camps remain harsh. Many families live without proper shelter and lack access to clean water and toilets, increasing the risk of disease.
With limited or no livelihood opportunities, affected populations are at heightened risk of exploitation, especially women, children, and people with disabilities.
The crisis in Benue is part of a broader conflict that began in 2018. Since then, more than 1.5 million people have been forced from their homes.
The situation worsened in 2024 and 2025, with an estimated 6,900 deaths and over 400,000 new displacements recorded, according to reports.
The European Union has reiterated its support for Nigeria’s displaced communities and stated that this funding is part of its broader humanitarian efforts managed through the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
The support is expected to help ease the current pressure on local resources and assist in providing basic needs for those affected as insecurity and displacement continue to rise in the region.