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Breaking News: “We Want to Go Home!” — Benue IDPs Block Highway, Accuse Government of Neglect
There was tension along the Benue–Nasarawa highway on Wednesday as hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State took to the streets, blocking the Yelwata section of the busy interstate road in a protest over their prolonged stay in displacement camps.
The protesters survivors of persistent attacks by suspected armed herdsmen chanted slogans such as “We want to go back home!” while obstructing traffic on both lanes of the major route. The demonstration, which lasted for several hours, left motorists and commuters stranded, forcing some to take alternative routes.
The IDPs, visibly frustrated, said they have endured enough hardship in overcrowded and poorly maintained camps and are demanding immediate relocation back to their ancestral homes and farmlands.
“We have stayed too long in camps. We want to return to our homes and farms,” one of the protesters told journalists at the scene.
The protest underscores growing discontent among displaced communities in the Middle Belt region, many of whom have remained in camps for years without concrete plans for resettlement or rehabilitation.
Security operatives were later deployed to the scene to prevent the situation from escalating into violence. However, tension remained high as the protesters insisted they would not back down until the government addressed their demands.
Observers say the demonstration highlights the urgent need for long-term solutions to Nigeria’s growing displacement crisis, particularly in conflict-prone regions where farmers and herders continue to clash over land and security remains fragile.