Benue State Allocates 5,600 Hectares Of Land To IDPs To Farm

The Benue Government has allocated 5,600 hectares of land to 5,600 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) households in the state for farming.

Chief Solomon Iorpev, Technical Adviser to the Governor on Media, Publicity, and Strategic Communication, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Makurdi.

Iorpev told NAN that Gov. Hyacinth Alia approved the allocation of one hectare of land each to the 5,600 households currently in the IDPs farm crops of their choice.

The technical adviser said that the government was going to provide all the necessary inputs to the farmers.

He stated that upon harvest, they would take what to eat and then sell the remaining to the government and make money.

“To feed themselves and be able to sell some and make money for themselves.

“He will provide farm inputs such as seedlings, fertiliser, herbicides, and other things they need to take care of the farms,” he said.

He also said that while the government was identifying the durable solutions, the IDPs were given a more befitting transit place to stay.

On the alleged attack on IDP camps, he said there was no way the government would allow anything to happen to the IDPs in their camps.

Iorpev was reacting to media reports claiming that some IDP camps in the state were attacked.

He said that the state government had provided adequate security in and around the camps.

“As far as I am concerned and as far as security operatives in the state and even beyond know, no IDP camp has been attacked in Benue since Alia came on board.

“It is bad enough that the people have been chased away from their ancestral homes.

“Where they are staying now is more like a temporary space where they can rest their heads,” he said.

Iorpev said that the Alia-led administration would return all IDPs to their ancestral homes after implementing the soon-to-be-launched Durable Solutions Action Plan for Benue IDPs.

The technical adviser explained that the state government, in collaboration with the federal and foreign partners, was working towards returning the IDPs to their ancestral homes.

According to him, part of the arrangements were identifying the attackers, reasons for their actions, and where they were coming from to carry out such acts.

“To better secure the people at the grassroots, Alia recently launched a joint security task force, Operation Anyam Nyor, and the state security outfit, the Benue State Civil Protection Guards.

“The security situation has improved tremendously. As I speak, in Gwer West Local Government Area, where eight council wards were occupied by invaders, five council wards are now occupied by the natives.

“The illegal occupants of the area have been chased out.

“The durable solutions action plan will be launched on January 24 to ensure the safe return of all IDPs to their homes,” he added.