Human Rights Experts Blame Armed Herdsmen Attacks for Insecurity, Displacements in Benue …Urge Federal Government to Tackle SGBV and Herdsmen Invasions

From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

Human rights experts in Benue State have identified armed herdsmen invasions and violent attacks as the leading causes of insecurity, displacement, and poverty in the state.

They therefore urged both the Federal and State Governments to adopt stringent measures to end Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and herdsmen attacks in Benue.

The call was made in Makurdi during a Baseline Assessment Report Validation Meeting for the Strengthening Capacity and Oversight on the Use of Human Rights Principles in the Prevention of Conflict-Related SGBV Project. The meeting was organized by Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) and Justice and Rights Initiative, with support from the Ford Foundation.

Presenting findings from a survey conducted in Benue and Imo States, Project Consultant, Chiroke Okogbue, said herder-farmer conflicts accounted for the highest percentage of violent clashes and were fueling the rise in gender-based violence. He revealed that more than 86 percent of Benue residents had been affected by the conflicts, experiencing SGBV, loss of loved ones, loss of livelihoods, displacement, trauma, and physical injuries, which underscores the urgent need for government action.

CIRDDOC Project Manager, Paschal Anozie, explained that the initiative was aimed at strengthening capacity and oversight in addressing conflict-related SGBV. He noted that the one-day engagement brought together MDAs, security agencies, CSOs, researchers, the media, and religious and traditional leaders to validate the survey findings.

The Executive Director of Justice and Rights Initiative, Justin Gbagir, said the collaboration with CIRDDOC was to provide credible data that government and policymakers could use in addressing SGBV and violent conflicts in Benue.

Also speaking, Mrs. Priscilla Kpam of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) described the meeting as timely, stressing the need for value reorientation among citizens to change perceptions about the root causes of conflicts.

Some participants, including Dr. Joseph Iorhii, attributed the rise in SGBV cases to poverty, illiteracy, lack of awareness, and persistent communal conflicts. Similarly, the President of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Hajia Jamila Ilyasu, urged government and non-governmental actors to utilize the survey’s findings to curb the menace of SGBV and other forms of violence in Benue State.