The European Union has announced an additional €250,000 (over ₦450 million) in humanitarian aid to assist thousands displaced by ongoing violence in Benue and Plateau states.
The emergency funds, channelled through the Nigerian Red Cross, will support around 2,500 households—approximately 15,000 people—who have been forced to flee their homes over the past four months following a surge in attacks by armed groups.
“This EU funding will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to deliver immediate, life-saving humanitarian assistance,” the EU said in a statement on Thursday. Support will include emergency cash, essential household supplies, healthcare, psychosocial services, and improved access to water and sanitation.
Special attention will be given to women, children, and individuals who have been displaced multiple times and are currently living in overcrowded, under-resourced camps.
The EU highlighted the severity of the crisis, noting that over 615,000 people are currently displaced in Benue State alone, with an additional 65,000 in Plateau. Many affected families are subsistence farmers who have been cut off from their farmlands during the crucial planting season.
“The majority reside in overcrowded internally displaced persons (IDP) camps or makeshift shelters, lacking basic necessities such as food, clean water, and access to healthcare,” the EU added.
This new support is part of the EU’s broader humanitarian commitment through the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), managed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
In July, the EU provided another €500,000 (about ₦886 million) to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to address urgent humanitarian needs in Benue over a six-month period.
The EU noted that “recurring and targeted violence in Benue and Plateau states continues to fuel a protracted protection crisis,” with new threats emerging weekly and deepening the humanitarian emergency.
As the world’s largest humanitarian donor, the EU reiterated its commitment to providing aid based solely on need, driven by a duty to preserve human dignity amid crisis.
The EU’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department currently has an €8 million agreement with the IFRC to support the DREF, with an additional €12 million available for rapid emergency response to small-scale disasters that don’t trigger international appeals.
