By Gloria Ikibah
The European Union has donated an additional €250,000 (equivalent to over ₦450 million) to support relief efforts in Nigeria, where multiple communities have been affected by ongoing insecurity in certain areas of Benue and Plateau States.
The initiative is targeted at individuals who have been forced to leave their homes and are now in urgent need of assistance. 
These resources will be directed through a national humanitarian organization to provide timely support to approximately 2,500 families—roughly 15,000 individuals. Aid efforts will include financial support, basic household supplies, medical care, emotional wellness services, and improvements to water access and hygiene.
In addition to immediate aid, the program also seeks to enhance community resilience through outreach and education on health practices, personal safety, and rights protection. Special attention will be given to particularly at-risk groups, including women, children, and those who have experienced multiple displacements, many of whom are now residing in congested and underserved temporary locations.
The humanitarian situation is dire. As of July 2025, over 615,000 people are displaced in Benue State and an additional 65,000 in Plateau State. Many are subsistence farmers cut off from their land during the crucial planting season. The majority reside in overcrowded internally displaced people camps or informal shelters, facing severe shortages of food, clean water, healthcare, and protection.
This funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
In July, the EU provided the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with €500,000 (approximately NGN 886,315,000) to meet the most urgent needs of displaced populations in Benue state for a period of 6 months.
The recurring and targeted violence in Benue and Plateau States continues to fuel a protracted protection crisis, leading to widespread destruction and a deepening humanitarian emergency. With new security threats emerging weekly, the need for sustained humanitarian action remains paramount.
