Amnesty International said on Wednesday at least 2,600 persons, mostly women and children, have been killed following attacks on 50 Benue communities in the last one year.
The Amnesty International Programme Director, Mrs. Barbara Magaji, disclosed this during a photo exhibition and news conference in Makurdi.
She said 18 out of the 23 local government areas in the state were constantly under security threats by armed attackers.
According to her, the attacks occurred between January 2023 and February this year.
Magaji said: “These attacks are significantly affecting food security and livelihoods because the affected communities are farmers and displacement make them unable to carry out any farming activity.
“These displacements are having significant and adverse effects on the right to livelihoods, and depriving thousands of children of the right to education and development.
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“As of March 2023 when the last counting and documentation was done, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and host communities accommodated a total of 489,245 IDPs.”
The Amnesty director, who quoted the state’s Ministry of Education and the Teaching Service Board report, said at least 55 schools had been destroyed by armed bandits or closed down due to insecurity, leaving hundreds of children out of school.
She stressed the need for Nigerian authorities to end the attacks in Benue State.
She urged governments at all levels to investigate the attacks and get justice for victims and their families.
“Nigerian authorities must ensure that suspected perpetrators of human rights abuses are brought to justice through fair trial.
“Nigerian authorities must investigate the security lapses that enabled gunmen to carry out attacks and get away with it.
“People who are displaced must be provided with adequate humanitarian support, standard of living and children’s education must be continued,” Magaji stated.
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