By Amos Aar
CHRISTIAN Aid Nigeria has launched a rapid humanitarian response project for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yelwata, Guma LGA of Benue State, following recent violent attacks that left over 200 people dead and displaced more than 3,000.
At the event held on Tuesday, at the Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD) office, Government House, Makurdi; Head of Programmes at Christian Aid Nigeria, Mr. Victor Arokoyo, announced that the project, funded through the Start Fund, will support 1,500 households with a range of interventions.
“We are doing multipurpose cash transfers, WASH, Non-Food Items (NFIs) distribution, dignity kits, and psychosocial support,” Arokoyo said. He explained that the aid targets approximately 10,000 individuals and stressed that the event served to officially inform the state government about the organization’s plans to respond to the crisis in Yelwata.
Benue State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hon. Aondowase Kunde, described the intervention as an act of solidarity, not just aid.
“This initiative represents not just a response to urgent needs, but a true act of solidarity with those who have borne the heaviest cost of displacement and insecurity,” he said.
Kunde commended Christian Aid Nigeria’s Country Director, Ms. Temitope Fashola, for her vision and stressed that coordinated action is a moral imperative. He called on all humanitarian stakeholders to work together to ensure equitable, effective, and accountable interventions.
“Coordination must be the heartbeat of every intervention. The people of Yelwata deserve no less,” he noted, while reiterating the government’s commitment through agencies like the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) and BICD.
In her remarks, Secretary to the Benue State Government, Barr. (Mrs.) Serumun Deborah Aber, described the project as a strategic expression of a humanitarian-development-peace compact. She said the government, under Governor Hyacinth Alia, has outlined clear policy directions that humanitarian interventions must follow.
“They must be coordinated, data-informed, locally anchored, and strategically aligned with our long-term recovery and development goals,” Aber stated. She revealed that Benue State recently validated its Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Policy, which will serve as a strategic framework for displacement-related planning and response.
Emphasizing accountability, she said: “Duplication of effort, competition for visibility, and siloed operations are not only inefficient—they are unethical, given the scale of suffering and the finite resources available.”
Director of the Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, Mr. Leo Angelo Viashima, said the project was timely and aligned with the state’s coordinated response architecture.
He expressed gratitude to Christian Aid for its multisectoral approach to displacement in Guma, highlighting the inclusion of protection services, dignity kits, trauma counselling, and feedback mechanisms as key indicators of a mature humanitarian model.
“Today’s launch is not just about supplies — it is about demonstrating our collective ability to respond with empathy, coordination, and intelligence,” Viashima said. He stressed that humanitarian efforts in the state must align with broader development objectives and that coordination remains central to avoiding duplication and inefficiency.
Dr. Esther Aidoga, Executive Director of Ahanyeta Caregivers, a Christian Aid partner organization, detailed the items to be distributed to IDPs. She said the non-food items include 1,500 mattresses, mosquito nets, blankets, Ghana-must-go bags, buckets, jerricans, and soaps. “We will be doing the distribution by God’s grace on Tuesday next week,” she added.
Represented by Dr. Donald Komgbenda, Head of Administration at BSEMA, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management/executive secretary of BSEMA, Dr. James Iorpuu, appreciated Christian Aid for consistently responding to crises in the state.
He specifically mentioned the Yelewata tragedy and assured that BSEMA would ensure that all distributed items reach the right beneficiaries. “As a responding agency, whatever you give will be given to the right people,” he stated.
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Lazarus Mom, who represented the Benue NGO Network (BENGONET), pledged continued support and collaboration with humanitarian agencies operating in the state.
With strong emphasis on coordination, policy alignment, and dignity-centred programming, the intervention is expected to provide both immediate relief and long-term hope to survivors of the Yelwata attacks.
