On Tuesday, 23rd, December, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has revealed that Yobe and Benue states emerging as the areas recording the highest numbers of newly displaced persons in mid-2025. The figures, drawn from the commission’s latest human rights dashboard, underscore growing humanitarian pressures linked to conflict, insecurity and socioeconomic stressors.
NHRC Executive Secretary Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN said the benchmarked period showed that Yobe State accounted for 2,047 newly displaced persons, while Benue followed closely with 1,850, a pattern that highlights both North-East and North-Central zones as epicentres of displacement.
“The total number of recorded IDPs is 9,290, with **Yobe at 2,047 and Benue at 1,850, amid herder attacks, insurgent raids, and destroyed infrastructure,” Dr. Ojukwu stated, noting that these movements spanned 11 states grappling with conflict-related crises. “Children comprise 82 per cent of those reached,” he said, stressing the acute vulnerability of the displaced population.
The commission’s dashboard, produced in collaboration with humanitarian partners including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), paints a wider picture of pressure points across the federation. Beyond Yobe and Benue, states such as Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Borno, Cross River, Taraba, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara were also cited as regions where displacement continues to rise, particularly affecting women and children.
According to Dr. Ojukwu, the displacement crisis is not only about sheer numbers but also about the secondary challenges facing displaced populations. These include increasing reports of human rights violations, such as denial of food and shelter, restrictions on freedom of movement, gender-based violence, and barriers to education that have compounded with insecurity, and food insecurity to undermine the welfare of affected communities.
“The NHRC field teams have documented over 1,800 human rights violations among IDPs,” he said, listing examples such as 530 cases of denied food and shelter in Benue, Taraba and Kano, as well as 278 restrictions on freedom of movement tied to insecurity in Yobe.
The commission has also tracked the plight of other vulnerable groups, reporting 215 asylum seekers facing registration challenges in Taraba and Cross River and 583 refugees primarily in the same zones. Mr. Harry Obe, Director of the NHRC’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Department, reported 472 returnees struggling with reintegration, 81 per cent of whom are children affected by persistent insecurity.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ojukwu acknowledged limitations in the national response infrastructure, particularly chronic transport shortages, high data costs, and operational risks that continue to hamper human rights monitoring efforts in volatile regions. In calling for enhanced action, he appealed to federal and state authorities to domesticate the Kampala Convention—an African treaty on the protection and assistance of internally displaced persons, and to integrate NHRC data into broader humanitarian planning and response frameworks.
“Our commitment remains to protect the rights and dignity of displaced persons,” Ojukwu said, urging strengthened inter-agency coordination to ensure that displacement “is transformed from despair into dignity.”
The NHRC’s findings sit against a backdrop of broader internal displacement trends across the country. In recent reports, the commission flagged tens of thousands of new displacements across multiple states over six months, often tied to communal clashes, insurgency and insecurity. Benue, in particular, has repeatedly featured in displacement reporting, with other humanitarian organisations warning of severe conditions in displacement camps and communities.
As Nigeria continues to navigate complex conflicts and humanitarian pressures, the NHRC’s latest dashboard underscores the need for urgent, evidence-based interventions that prioritise the safety, protection and resilience of displaced populations—especially children, who make up the overwhelming majority of those affected.
