Yobe, Benue Top List of New Displacements in Harrowing NHRC Report

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has identified Yobe and Benue states as the current epicenters of internal displacement in Nigeria.

In its latest dashboard report presented on Tuesday in Abuja, the Commission revealed that the two states recorded the highest numbers of newly displaced persons during the period under review.

Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu (SAN), disclosed that a total of 9,290 new Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were documented across 11 states.

Yobe State accounted for the highest figure with 2,047 individuals, followed closely by Benue State with 1,850.

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Perhaps most alarming is the demographic breakdown of these figures; the report indicates that children constitute a staggering 82 percent of the newly displaced population, leaving them vulnerable to malnutrition and lack of education.

Represented by Harry Obe, the Director of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Ojukwu attributed the surge to a volatile combination of herder attacks, insurgent raids, and the destruction of critical infrastructure which has devastated local livelihoods.

Beyond displacement, the Commission recorded over 1,800 distinct human rights violations during the reporting period.

These included 530 cases of denied access to food and shelter—primarily in Benue, Taraba, and Kano—and 195 incidents of gender-based violence.

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The report also highlighted that asylum seekers in Taraba and Cross River are facing severe registration difficulties.

In his call to action, Dr. Ojukwu urged the federal and state governments to urgently domesticate the Kampala Convention to provide a stronger legal framework for protection.

He advised authorities to integrate the Commission’s data into their humanitarian response plans to ensure that Nigeria’s estimated 6.7 million displaced persons receive adequate support, pledging to work towards transforming their situation “from despair to dignity.”