THE security challenges posed by banditry and terrorism have continued to increase in the northern part of the country, as the number of internally displaced persons and camps has continued to increase, placing a significant financial burden on state governments.
Findings by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that states like Benue, Borno, Niger, Zamfara and Katsina have the highest number of displaced people, mainly women and children who fled their ancestral communities as a result of attacks and killings, with the unfortunate situation compounded by flooding in some communities.
Benue
Checks in Benue noted that there are no less than 21 IDP camps across the state, while records obtained from the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) showed that 219,477 people were displaced from their communities, most of them in IDP camps.
The breakdown of the number of displaced people obtained by BSEMA includes: Men: 0-four years 9,708, five-17 years, 53,449, 18-59 years, 28,488 and 60+ 4,002, and Women: 0-four years, 9,212, five-17 years, 50,168, 18-59 years, 56,432 and 60+ 8,018.
Kaduna
A recent survey by some civil organizations indicated that over 1.1 million IDPs outside the camps are currently illegally occupying Kaduna, putting increasing pressure on housing, services and livelihoods.
This was revealed during a one-day capacity building workshop on youth migration governance for staff of the Kaduna State Ministry of Youth Development.
Zamfara
Similarly, Zamfara is home to 290,000 internally displaced people and the state government spends N7.3 billion on its upkeep. The state government, through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Relief, revealed that it spent over N7.3 billion to support these camps, saying that Zamfara State is home to over 290,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.
Commissioner, Honorable Salisu Tsafe, who revealed this during the commemoration of World Humanitarian Day 2026, highlighted that banditry activities have forced many people to leave their communities and villages to seek refuge in IDP camps.
Katsina
An assessment conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Katsina State recently revealed that more than 138,000 people were displaced by insecurity and natural disasters in Katsina State between January 2025 and January 2026.
The organization’s head of mission, Sharon Dimanche, revealed at a press conference in Katsina that 72,000 people were displaced in the state following floods, heavy rains and windstorms, while another 60,000 were driven from their communities by armed banditry and kidnappings during the period under review.
Niger
Niger is also one of the Northern states fighting insurgency on different fronts as records obtained from the State Directorate of Internally Displaced Persons (PDI) of Niger State showed that there are currently eight IDP camps operating in six local government areas with a total of 21,258 displaced persons.
Shiroro local government area has the largest number of camps, with three facilities, while Munya, Mashegu, Rafi, Rijau and Mariga local government areas have one camp each.
Gwada IDP camp in Shiroro hosts 2,222 displaced people, while Kuta camp has 2,615 and Gijiwa camp has 321.
In Munya Local Government Area, the camp hosts 6,183 IDPs, which is the highest population among existing camps.
Likewise, Mashegu camp has 3,541 displaced people, while Rafi camp has 2,278 people. The Rijau camp also hosts 2,278 displaced people, while the Mariga camp hosts 1,820.
Plateau
Findings in Plateau showed that all IDP camps had closed, despite continued attacks on communities and villages in parts of the state, making it difficult to obtain accurate data on the number of people displaced from their ancestral homes.
Recall that the state government closed all the camps three years ago with the objective of relocating the displaced to their respective villages.
Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune, the National President of the Berom Young Molders Association (BYMA), Mr. Dalyop Solomon, stated that the people of the state, despite repeated attacks, did not fully adopt the practice of IDP camps, highlighting that victims of the attacks often preferred to move to their neighborhoods or towns within the state to stay with their relatives.
“They do not stay in government-designated camps. You will see their relatives from Jos and other cities in the state arriving to take them away,” he said.
Kwara
The same pathetic story is repeated in Kwara, which has only one IDP camp, situated at Patigi, in Patigi Local Government Area of ​​the state.
The North Central Zonal Director of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Hajia Ahmed Afusat Jumai, who provided the data of the affected men; 2,231; women; 3,642 and children; 6,124.
Kogi
In Kogi, it is a combination of banditry and flooding, which has caused the number of IDPs to rise, but those IDPs rarely stay in the camps, making it difficult to add to their numbers.
borno
Another state facing the problem is Borno. The governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Dauda Iliya, said that a few years ago most IDP camps were closed, adding that the state government was prioritizing the voluntary return of the displaced to their communities of choice as security conditions improved.
He mentioned that so far, about two million people, including men and women headed households, youth and children, have been resettled across Borno State.
However, he said only one IDP camp remains operational in Maiduguri, while other camps were in liberated communities including Monguno, Damboa, Gwoza, Dikwa, Konduga, Mafa and Ngala.
sokoto
In Sokoto, thousands of residents forced to flee their homes as a result of persistent bandit attacks and other security threats is causing a growing humanitarian crisis in several communities in the state.
Investigations revealed that the displaced population is dispersed between formal and informal camps, as well as host communities, making it difficult to establish a single, up-to-date figure for the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sokoto.
The Nigerian Tribune further learned that Sabon Birni Local Government Area alone has over 25,000 displaced people, making it one of the major displacement hotspots in the state.
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