The European Union (EU) is boosting its humanitarian efforts in Nigeria, committing an additional €250,000 to help people displaced by violence in Benue and Plateau states.
This new funding brings the total EU contribution for the region to €750,000 in just over two weeks.
The Nigerian Red Cross will use the funds to assist approximately 15,000 people (2,500 households) who have fled their homes in the past four months due to attacks by armed groups.
“In response to the mass displacement caused by a series of violent attacks by armed groups across Benue and Plateau States of Nigeria, the European Union is releasing an additional €250,000 (over N450 million) in humanitarian assistance to help people in need.
“This EU funding will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to deliver immediate, life-saving humanitarian assistance to 2,500 vulnerable households (around 15,000 people) who have been displaced over four months.
“Support will include emergency cash assistance, essential household items, healthcare and psychosocial support, as well as water and sanitation,” the EU said in a press statement on Thursday, August 7.
Particular attention is being given to women, children, and individuals who have been displaced multiple times and are currently living in overcrowded and under-resourced camps.
According to the EU, most displaced people are living in informal shelters or overcrowded camps and face severe shortages of food, clean water, healthcare, and protection.
“The humanitarian situation is dire. As of July 2025, over 615,000 people are displaced in Benue State and an additional 65,000 in Plateau State. Many are subsistence farmers cut off from their land during the crucial planting season.
“The majority reside in overcrowded internally displaced people camps or informal shelters, facing severe shortages of food, clean water, healthcare, and protection,” the statement noted.
This latest funding is part of the EU’s broader support for the Disaster Response Emergency Fund(DREF) managed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies(IFRC).
The EU noted that “recurring and targeted violence in Benue and Plateau States continues to fuel a protracted protection crisis, leading to widespread destruction and a deepening humanitarian emergency.”
It added that with “new security threats emerging weekly, the need for sustained humanitarian action remains paramount.”
As the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid, the EU said its contributions are driven by solidarity and a commitment to preserving human dignity in the face of crises.
Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department, the EU supports millions of disaster victims annually, based on humanitarian need alone.
Persecondnews reports that the EU currently has an €8 million delegation agreement with the IFRC to support DREF, which provides rapid emergency funding for small-scale disasters that do not trigger international appeals.
Established in 1979, the DREF enables national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to access immediate financial support.
The agreement between the EU and IFRC allows the EU to replenish DREF funds up to a total of €12 million for eligible operations.
Persecondnews also recalls that Benue and Plateau states in North Central Nigeria, have experienced recurring violent attacks between farming communities and nomadic herders, often sparked by disputes over land and water resources, resulting in significant loss of lives and displacement.
The federal government had launched investigations and deployed security personnel to the affected regions, with President Bola Tinubu pledging to tackle the underlying causes of the conflict and ensure the safety of vulnerable communities.
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