EU Releases Extra €250,000 Humanitarian Aid for Displaced Persons in Benue, Plateau

EU Releases Extra €250,000 Humanitarian Aid for Displaced Persons in Benue, Plateau

By JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The European Union (EU) has approved an additional €250,000 (over N450 million) in humanitarian aid to assist thousands recently displaced by escalating violence in Benue and Plateau States.

Announcing the support on Thursday, the EU said the funds will enable the Nigerian Red Cross Society to provide urgent, life-saving relief to about 2,500 households, roughly 15,000 people, forced from their homes in the last four months by armed attacks.

The package will cover emergency cash transfers, essential household items, basic healthcare, psychosocial support, and access to clean water and sanitation facilities. Priority will be given to women, children, and repeatedly displaced persons, many of whom are sheltering in overcrowded informal settlements or camps.

“The humanitarian situation is dire, and the needs are immense. This support aims not just to alleviate suffering but to uphold human dignity for those living in precarious conditions,” the EU said in a statement.

Recent figures show over 615,000 people are currently displaced in Benue alone, with a further 65,000 uprooted in Plateau, many of them subsistence farmers deprived of their land during the critical planting season. The situation has triggered acute shortages of food, clean water, healthcare, and protection services.

This latest grant comes through the EU’s contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which allows rapid deployment of funds in small- and medium-scale emergencies often overlooked by global appeals.

It follows a €500,000 humanitarian contribution made just last month to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to address urgent needs among displaced populations in Benue over a six-month period.

“Recurring and targeted violence in Benue and Plateau has created a protracted protection crisis. With new security threats emerging almost weekly, sustained humanitarian action remains not only necessary but urgent,” the EU warned.

The EU and its Member States are the world’s largest humanitarian donors, operating under principles of neutrality, impartiality, and humanity. Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), headquartered in Brussels and supported by a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to millions of disaster victims annually.

In line with this mandate, the European Commission recently signed an €8 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the IFRC to support the DREF, with the fund now able to be replenished up to €12 million for agreed operations.

Established in 1979, the DREF ensures national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies can respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies without delay.