Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has said that Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) needs the support of men of goodwill, corporate organisations and governments
He spoke in Makurdi, the state capital, when the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, visited him over the humanitarian crisis in the state.
The delegation, led by Senior Humanitarian Advisor to USBHA, Patrick Robinson, was received at the Government House.
Benue State is facing the cjallenges of banditry and farmer-herder clashes, which have led to killings and displacement of millions of people.
Alia said over 1.5 million displaced people in the state lacked access to potable water and other necessities of life.
He said apart from insecurity arising from herdsmen attacks, kidnapping, and banditry, the state has also been affected by natural disasters.
Alia said: “Benue State has continued to experience intense conflicts and tensions as a result of herder/farmers clashes, kidnapping, and banditry, which have disrupted the agrarian lives of our people.
Read Also: Alia: I need prayers to survive landmines of anti-people forces
“Insecurity is yielding a growing concern in our state. However, our administration is committed to finding lasting solutions to these disputes and fostering peaceful coexistence among all residents in the state.
“Towards this end, we decided to adopt the three Rs: Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, and Rebuilding in the affected areas of the state.
“My administration is working assiduously to resettle the Internally Displaced Persons back to their ancestral homes.”
The governor thanked the officials of the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and the International Organisation for Migrants for assisting the state.
He urged other development partners to support his administration in its bid to develop a comprehensive template to bring a lasting solution to the humanitarian crisis in the state.
The leader of the USBHA delegation, Robinson, said the team came to Benue to assess the humanitarian situation to see areas they could assist in resolving the crisis.
He said the USBHA had been intervening in humanitarian crises in the Northeast since 2016, especially in Borno State.
Robinson said the agency had also moved its intervention to the Northwest.
He assured the governor of USBHA’s commitment to assist Benue to address its humanitarian crisis.