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In a significant boost for internally displaced persons in Benue State, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BESEMA) has commenced a comprehensive biometric revalidation exercise across IDP camps and host communities.
The initiative, launched on Thursday, November 13, 2025, aims to update records of displaced families, eliminate ghost entries, and issue new digital identity cards that will ensure more accurate targeting of relief materials and long-term support.
Speaking at the Makurdi headquarters of BESEMA during the distribution of food and non-food items, Director of Administration Donald Komgbenda, who represented Executive Secretary James Iorapuu, described the exercise as a critical step toward restoring dignity and hope to thousands of IDPs affected by years of herder-farmer conflicts and flooding.
Komgbenda particularly praised Governor Hyacinth Alia for his administration’s sustained commitment to the welfare of displaced persons, noting that collaboration between the state government and partners has already yielded visible results.
Among the most celebrated achievements is the completion of a modern water treatment plant at Naka Dam in Gwer West Local Government Area. For years, residents of the Naka IDP camp and surrounding communities endured severe water scarcity, relying on contaminated sources that posed serious health risks.
The new facility has now put an end to that hardship, providing clean, regular water supply to thousands of households for the first time in over a decade.
Relief materials distributed during Thursday’s event included bags of rice, beans, maize, cooking oil, mattresses, blankets, and hygiene kits, further underscoring the government’s determination to improve living conditions in the camps.
As the biometric registration continues, authorities have urged all displaced persons to participate fully, assuring them that the data collected will be used solely to enhance planning and delivery of assistance.
For many IDPs in Benue, the combination of accurate documentation, new housing interventions, and the resolution of the water crisis in Naka represents more than just government programs; it is a tangible sign that their long years of hardship are gradually giving way to recovery and renewed hope.
