The European Union (EU) has released €500,000, approximately N886.315 million to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs of displaced persons in Benue State, reports thegazellenews.com
The financial aid is in response to the influx of displaced people following the recent attacks in the North Central State.
According to a statement on Thursday, 24 July, 2025, this EU funding will support, for a period of 6 months, and in partnership with the IOM, efforts to implement activities in sectors such as protection, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as multi-purpose financial aid.
Escalating armed violence in Benue State, Nigeria, has displaced thousands of people, exacerbating an already critical humanitarian crisis. In June 2025, a wave of attacks forced almost 23,000 people to flee, many of whom had already been displaced in the past, triggering a cycle of heightened vulnerability.
Conditions inside the camps are said to be dire. There is a severe lack of shelter for families, and inadequate access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Access to livelihoods remains precarious, while protection risks have increased considerably, particularly for women, children and people with disabilities, making the humanitarian response even more complex.
This latest wave of violence is part of a protracted humanitarian crisis that has been shaking the state of Benue since 2018. More than 1.5 million people have been reported displaced from their homes since 2018. The escalation of violence in 2024 and 2025 is said to have already claimed some 6,900 lives and displaced more than 400,000 people, stressing the urgency of the situation.
The European Union, along with its member states, is the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid. Emergency aid is an expression of European solidarity with people in need around the globe. Its purpose is to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and preserve the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters or man-made crises.
Through the European Commission’s civil protection and humanitarian aid operations, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disaster every year. Through its headquarters in Brussels and its worldwide network of local offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the sole basis of humanitarian needs.
