As Benue State continues to grapple with the challenge of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) due to attacks by armed herdsmen, the population of victims affected by the attacks have hit over 500,182 in the state.

The number, according to statistics released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) via Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), revealed recently that the primary cause of displacements is the decades-old farmers-herders conflict with the highest number of registered IDPs residing in the Guma local government area of the state.

According to the IOM report, the biometric registration exercise was conducted with a total of 210,876 individuals representing 54,476 households, with Guma as one of the top three councils having the highest number of registered IDPs with 60,445 individuals.

Followed closely was Makurdi local government with 36,062 individuals; then Agatu local government with 21,861 individuals.

The least registered local government was Gwer West with 12, 717 individuals. The biometric registration was conducted by IOM in collaboration with partners, including NBS, NCFRMI, BESEMA, Benue Commission of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and NRCS.

The state has come under severe attack by armed herdsmen terrorists, displacing scores of people, thousands killed and many others including women and children missing.

Several persons have been killed in Kwande, Agatu, Gwer-West, Makurdi, Katsina-Ala, Logo and Ukum local government areas, Apa, Ogbadibo and Otukpo, among others.

Governor Hyacinth Alia has said that the insecurity situation ravaging parts of the state has been reduced to “mere skirmishes” and that the state is witnessing relative peace.

But speaking at a Thanksgiving Mass in honour of the Permanent Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), James Iorpuu held at Saint Margaret Catholic Church, Chichii – Gbatse in Vandeikya Local Government Area recently, Governor Alia lamented that many ‘communities are still under siege’ by the activities of armed herdsmen insurgents.

The Tor Tiv, Ayatse, who also spoke at the event, regretted that the Tiv people are being attacked and killed from different corners and advised Governor Alia to rise up and put in more effort to save his people.

Also, the Bishop of Katsina-ala Diocese, Most Rev’d Isaac Dugu, acknowledged the efforts of Governor Alia’s administration in bringing development in the state, adding, however, that the increased invasion of herdsmen in Benue communities is worrisome and requires urgent and serious attention.