By EMMANUEL ANTSWEN

The Benue Government on Monday says it has commenced the resettlement of victims of the June 2025 Yelewata attacks.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Deborah Aber, who made the disclosure on Monday in Makurdi at a press conference, said that the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were returning home.

Aber, who is also the chairman of the Technical Committee for the Donations for IDPs Committee in Benue, said the state government received in donations the sum of N1.25 billion from four donors.

The SSG said that the committee have already achieved over 85 per cent of their given mandate.

She listed the donors to include Sen. Oluremi Tinubu (N1 billion), the Nassarawa State Government (N150 million), the United Bank for Africa (N100 million) and the Director General of the DSS (N25 million), totalling N1.27 billion.

Aber explained that the funds were to support all victims of attacks in the state and not only Yelewata victims.

The chairman further explained that Governor Hyacinth Alia had set up the committee for the effective application of the funds to meet the exact needs of the people.

She said the committee aggregated all of their needs across food, health, shelter, education, livelihood and water.

Aber said cash transfer was allocated N56 million, nutrition and food N224 million, WASH N125 million, security N56 million, agriculture N56 million, resettlement N277 million, and health N112 million.

According to her, peace and reconciliation was allocated N16 million, host communities N127 million, education N148 million, etc.

“Working with our international partners, we came up with a model for resettlement that is acceptable worldwide.

“It seeks to settle people close to their locations in decent forms and houses close to their farms so they can continue with their livelihood.

“We have land earmarked for this purpose. We had an engagement to construct 60 homes for the displaced population in Yelwata.

“The 60 homes cannot accommodate the IDPs, but that is what the funds can do. 38 out of the 60 homes of two bedrooms are at the roofing stage, with three roofed already.

“The state with this model will start relocating its citizens to more dignifying houses closer to their ancestral homes so that their lives can bear a semblance of normalcy,” she said.

Aber explained that a mapping of beneficiaries was conducted to collate data to meet the specific people the funds were meant for.

She said the host communities were also carried along during the data collation, adding that in some places, the people were not in camps but living with host communities.

Aber also disclosed that 5,883 IDPs have been enrolled in the Benue State Health Insurance Agency, with a premium of N10,000 paid per person to enable them to access medical care.

She said the committee had also provided water to some of the affected communities.

“Funds earmarked for education have been able to build four classrooms in Yelwata and provide textbooks and school bags for the pupils.

“We are grateful to our partners; as we speak, UNHCR is building a world-class clinic in Yelewata,” she said (NAN)

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