Middle Belt Concern declares state of emergency over regional violence

The Middle Belt Concern (MBC), a coalition of approximately 80 citizen groups, has declared a state of emergency regarding persistent violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. During a media roundtable in Lagos, the group called on the Federal Government to take immediate action to stop killings and facilitate the return of displaced persons to their ancestral homes.

Co-conveners Ier Jonathan-Ichaver and Marie Orgah highlighted that violence in regions including Benue, Southern Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, and Plateau has persisted for over a decade, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions. The coalition rejected characterizations of the violence as mere farmer-herder or communal clashes, describing it instead as organized and escalating violence that has overrun entire villages.

The MBC demanded several specific government interventions: a credible national count of displaced persons, the physical securing of ancestral communities, improved trauma care, and a binding roadmap for restorative justice. The group criticized the government for failing in its constitutional duty to protect lives, stating that “platitudes are not policy” and “sympathy is not security.”