Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia says the state will begin closing some IDP camps as displaced residents return home, citing an improved security situation across the state.
Makurdi — August 10, 2026
Governor Hyacinth Alia has announced plans to close some Internally Displaced Persons camps across Benue State, citing a noticeable improvement in the security situation and a gradual return of displaced residents to their communities.
Speaking at a press briefing in Makurdi, the governor said the decision followed a review of the state's security conditions, noting that declining camp populations reflect residents choosing to return home and resume farming and rebuilding rather than remain in temporary shelters.
He described the trend as encouraging and consistent with his administration's broader goal of restoring displaced families to their ancestral land rather than sustaining indefinite humanitarian relief.
The move mirrors a similar resettlement push underway in neighboring Plateau State, where the government has set up its own task force to plan the return of displaced residents, suggesting a wider regional shift across Nigeria's Middle Belt from emergency camp management toward active resettlement.
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