The European Union has announced an additional €250,000 (N513.2 million) in humanitarian assistance to support thousands of people displaced by escalating violence in Benue and Plateau states.
The funds will be channelled through the Nigerian Red Cross to assist approximately 2,500 households; an estimated 15,000 people, who have been forced to flee 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 in humanitarian assistance to help people in need,” the EU wrote in a statement published on its website.
“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,” it added.
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Particular attention is being given to women, children, and individuals displaced multiple times who are currently living in overcrowded and under-resourced camps.
The EU says 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.”
According to the statement, a wider population of the affected people reside in overcrowded internally displaced people camps or informal shelters, facing severe shortages of food, clean water, healthcare, and protection.
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.
In July of 2025, the EU allocated €500,000 (N1.03 billion) to the International Organisation for Migration to meet urgent humanitarian needs in Benue over six months, the statement revealed.
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.”
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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.
The European Commission 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.
