The Benue State Government has facilitated the admission of 31 children from Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps into the Federal Government’s exchange school programme across different states of the federation.

Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. James Iorpuu, made the disclosure during the distribution of food and relief materials to IDP camps and Cameroonian refugees at the agency’s headquarters in Makurdi.

The relief items included 710 bags of beans, 1,430 bags of garri, 1,602 cartons of Indomie noodles, 280 bags of maize, and several truckloads of rice.

Dr. Iorpuu further revealed that the government had facilitated the transfer of 14 unaccompanied IDP children to an international orphanage in Lagos, as well as 10 others to the NKST Orphanage Home at Mkar, Gboko Local Government Area. He explained that the initiative was designed to secure a brighter future for vulnerable children by giving them access to quality education, scholarship opportunities abroad, and other life-changing prospects.

According to him, the state government remains committed to tackling immediate humanitarian needs while also pursuing long-term solutions. He noted that 15 households had already been successfully reintegrated into their ancestral homes in Tyo-Mu, marking a practical step toward ending protracted displacement in Benue.

Dr. Iorpuu commended humanitarian partners for their collaboration, urging them to extend further interventions to IDP camps in Logo, Gwer West, Agatu, Kwande, Ukum, Katsina-Ala, Apa, and Otukpo local government areas.

He also lauded the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for supporting IDPs in Tyo-Mu to manage and sustain their rice farms, describing it as a sustainable solution that enhances livelihoods.

Additionally, he praised the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for constructing a water treatment plant in Naka, saying the project offers a permanent solution to water scarcity and transforms lives directly.

The SEMA boss equally acknowledged the swift response of UN partners and local agencies to the recent Yelwata attacks, noting that their timely intervention provided relief to many affected households.