Amnesty International Wednesday said between January 2023 and February 2024, 50 communities in Benue experienced attacks leading to 2,600 deaths and many of them were women and children.
The programme director, Mrs Barbara Magaji, who stated this during photo exhibition and press conference in Makurdi said the state had 23 local government areas out of which 18 were affected by insecurity.
S She said the state faced continuous attacks by armed attackers, adding that the attacks significantly affected food security and livelihood because the affected communities are populated by farmers and they are unable to carry out farming activities.
She said the displacement is having significant and adverse effects on the right to livelihoods of the people and it is depriving thousands of children of the right to education and development.
“As of March 2023 when the last counting and documentation was done, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and host communities accommodated a total of 489,245 IDPs,” Magaji said.
She further quoted the state Ministry of Education and the Teaching Service Board, to have said that, “at least, 55 schools had been destroyed by armed bandits or closed due to insecurity, leaving hundreds of children out of school.”
She said it was the view of her organisation that the Nigerian authorities must end the attacks in Benue because they have a duty to protect lives.
She stressed need to investigate the incidents impartially and ensure justice for the victims, survivors and their families.
“Nigerian authorities must ensure that suspected perpetrators of human rights abuses are brought to justice through fair trial.
“Nigerian authorities must investigate the security lapses that enabled gunmen to carry out attacks and get away with it.
“People who are displaced must be provided with adequate humanitarian support, standard of living and children’s education must be continued,” she stated.
