Non-Governmental Organizations and the Management of Internally Displaced Persons in Benue State

The main objective of the study is to examine the role of non-governmental organizations in the management of Internally Displaced Persons in Benue State. The study is anchored on Structural Functionalist Theory as the theoretical framework. The study is an action research design. The study is based on qualitative data. It collects data through primary and secondary sources. The primary data was obtained using Key Informant Interview (KII) and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The KII was used to obtain rich and detailed data from selected participants, while the FGD was used to obtain data based on shared experiences, perspectives and opinions of the vast number of the IDPs and other critical stakeholders. The population of the study include the total number of internally displaced persons in Benue State, which according to IOM (December, 2023) report, stood at 394,567 IDPs. The three LGAs hosting the most significant number of IDPs in north-central and north-west Nigeria were all in Benue State. Guma (105,154 IDPs) remains the LGA hosting the highest number of IDPs within the assessed areas. Guma LGA was followed by Gwer West LGA (63,083 IDPs) and Agatu LGA (46,135 IDPs). The sample size of the study was 15 participants or interviewees (5 IDPs in each of the most badly affected local governments in Benue). The selected local governments include: Guma, Gwer West, and Agatu Local Governments of Benue State. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. The KII, FGD, secondary data, were analysed using qualitative content analysis method. The findings of the study include that non-governmental organizations have made significant efforts in the IDPs tracking, conflict management, poverty reduction, climate change adaptation and food and non-food items’ supply relating to IDPs in Benue State.