By Our Reporter, With Agency Reports
GOVERNOR Hyacinth Alia of Benue State on Wednesday reiterated his administration’s commitment to restoring peace and resettling person displaced by years of communal violence.
He made the pledge while hosting a delegation from the board and management of the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC) at the Government House in Makurdi.
Addressing the NCDC officials, Governor Alia stated that tackling insecurity and facilitating the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes remains a top priority for his government.
He acknowledged the significant challenges facing the state, attributing them to years of neglect, and emphasised the need for collaboration with organisations like the NCDC to spur rural development, enhance food production, and restore normalcy.
“We are resolute that our people must go back to their ancestral homes. The people of Benue State deserve peace to continue to feed the nation,” the governor was quoted as saying, while also noting that though progress has been made in reducing insecurity in some areas, the situation remains fluid, requiring constant vigilance.
The NCDC delegation, led by Board Chairman, Mr Comas Akighir and Managing Director Cyril Tsenyil, outlined the commission’s mandate to drive sustainable development across the geo-political zone.
Akighir pledged that the NCDC will partner with Benue State in areas including infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, and peace-building.
However, the governor’s latest assurances come against the backdrop of a deeply challenging reality on the ground, as detailed in a recent investigative report published by National Record.
The report, entitled: “INVESTIGATION: The Land They Cannot Return To – Inside Benue’s Cycle Of Violence And Dispossession”, paints a stark picture of the limitations of past government efforts.
The investigation reveals a protracted crisis where, for many communities, displacement is not a temporary hardship but a decade-long condition.
Official data from the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) cited in the report shows over 85,000 people still living in 15 recognised IDP camps across Guma, Gwer West, Makurdi, and Logo LGAs.
Some of the largest camps, like NKST Naka in Gwer West, host more than 18,000 individuals.
The report’s findings directly challenge the narrative of successful resettlement. It chronicles the experiences of families like that of Terundu Boniface, displaced from Logo LGA for five years, who told the reporter that “the government has not taken any concrete measures to resettle us. What we hear instead is political propaganda.”
Similarly, Ttotaha Aboodi, an IDP since 2014 in Anyiin camp, stated: “I have not set my eyes on my village since 2014. The Fulani have occupied our land… and they have been using our farmland.”
The investigation highlights a grim cycle of violence where communities are attacked, flee, and are then unable to return, often witnessing their ancestral farmlands being occupied by the invaders.
It points to a systematic dispossession, where the state’s failure to provide security has left citizens in a perpetual state of limbo, dependent on overstretched emergency agencies for survival.
Children grow up never seeing their villages, and families are trapped in a cycle of poverty and fear.
During the NCDC visit, traditional ruler Tor Jechira Chief Edward Ujege echoed these urgent concerns, calling on the commission to prioritise restoring peace and facilitating the return of IDPs, a plea that underscores the deep disconnect between government pledges and the lived experience of thousands of Benue citizens.
The governor’s latest promise to collaborate with the NCDC on these issues will be measured against the history of such pledges, with communities waiting to see if this new partnership can succeed where previous efforts have fallen short.
