Dozens of displaced persons at the Maga Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Mbayongo, located on the outskirts of Makurdi, Benue State, took to the streets on Wednesday, staging a protest over worsening hunger and poor living conditions in their camp.
The protest, which disrupted traffic along the busy Makurdi-Lafia highway, came less than 24 hours after Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, announced a ₦1 billion donation to support displaced families in the state.
Chanting slogans like “We are hungry” and “We want to go back home,” the IDPs many carrying tree branches demanded urgent government intervention, stating that they were suffering neglect despite the recent financial pledge.
One of the demonstrators, Rebecca Awuse, spoke to journalists at the protest site, expressing frustration over life in the camp.
“We want to go back home. We are hungry and tired of staying in the camp where we are not being taken care of,” she said.
The protest cast a spotlight on the gap between high-level humanitarian promises and the harsh realities on the ground. Many of the protesters said they had not received adequate food supplies for months and felt forgotten by both state and federal authorities.
Responding to the protest, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) denied the allegations of hunger and neglect. Speaking to reporters, the agency’s Information Officer, Tema Ager, claimed that the protest was politically driven and misrepresented the situation in the camps.
“The IDPs are not being starved. The government is providing food for them,” Ager said.
“Those in Yelewata camp often abandon it for the International Market camp in Makurdi, which is newer and receives more frequent food distributions. Even when we deliver food to Yelewata, they still return to the Makurdi camp to collect more.”
Ager dismissed the claim that the ₦1 billion pledged by the First Lady was meant for immediate food relief, stating instead that the funds were intended for long-term resettlement plans.
“Some of them are protesting because they think the money announced by the First Lady has already been shared. That’s not the case. What was announced yesterday is for resettlement, not for food handouts,” he clarified.
On food distribution timelines, Ager added that the last major distribution occurred in May, but a new round was currently underway across IDP camps in the state.
Despite government denials, the protest has amplified growing concerns among displaced populations in Benue who feel left behind in the recovery process. Many are calling for greater transparency and faster deployment of promised aid.
