UNHCR Nigeria Benue Protection Update - August 2026

EXTRACTO DEL FEED · ATRIBUIDO AL MEDIO

Country: Nigeria

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Please refer to the attached file.

Situation Update

Coordinated armed attacks on the communities of Ayaba, Ukpen, Bom, Aboajio and Yina in Mbazun Ward, Ukum LGA, killed 58 people in August, in the deadliest single episode recorded in Benue this year. A joint assessment by the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, the Nigerian Red Cross Society and UNHCR profiled more than 440 displaced families, with total household displacement estimated at around 500 and verification continuing. four more residents were killed in a night attack on Abaushwa community in Guma, and further deaths were recorded in Logo, Okpokwu and Otukpo. Civilians remained at the centre of the crisis in August, with 92% of reported security incidents involving direct protection violations. Benue is facing a widening protection crisis. Kidnappings reached their highest level of 2026 in August, with 14 incidents recorded across nine LGAs, while escalating attacks continue to kill, displace and terrorize rural communities. The impact extends far beyond immediate casualties: families are being cut off from farmland during a critical agricultural period, displacement into host communities is increasing pressure on already scarce resources, and women and children face heightened protection risks. Despite the growing severity of the crisis, some of the most affected LGAs remain outside structured community-based protection monitoring systems, limiting early warning and timely humanitarian response.