Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has revealed that at least 3,160 people have been displaced in Yelwata community, Benue State, following a series of recent violent attacks.
The minister made this known during an interview on Arise Television, on Tuesday, where he described the humanitarian situation in Yelwata as one of several urgent crises the federal government is currently addressing including floods, insurgency, and rising child malnutrition, particularly in the northern region.
“Of recent, we had the Mokwa flood. We had the killings in Plateau and Benue. We had also the Borno crisis,” Yilwatda said.
He expressed deep concern over the growing number of malnourished children among displaced populations, which he said had become a worsening trend.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s directive after a visit to Benue, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs carried out a needs assessment in Yelwata to understand the scale of the crisis.
“In Yelwata, we discovered that 3,160 people were displaced in the community. About 810 children that are within school age were displaced,” he disclosed.
Yilwatda also reported severe destruction caused by the attacks, noting that dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed.
“We discovered that we lost roughly about 48 homes. And then we have shops that were also attacked and destroyed, and other businesses,” he said.
The minister stressed the need for collaborative action, noting that the federal government alone cannot shoulder the burden of addressing the multiple crises affecting communities across the country.
“We need comprehensive action by all the partners that are required to work on it. Some of the problems cannot be solved by the federal government alone,” he said.
He added that the ministry has been working closely with affected communities, local governments, NGOs, and international agencies to design a coordinated and sustainable intervention strategy.
“We did a comprehensive assessment covering the humanitarian needs, the peace-building response plan, and we did also the long-term and durable solution for the community,” he stated.
