Troubled telecommunications infrastructure in Benue exacerbates the state's dangerous condition.
In the troubled heart of Nigeria's Benue State, a series of violent attacks have claimed the lives of thousands and left countless communities in despair. Since May 29, 2023, at least 6,896 people have been killed in similar attacks, with the most devastating occurring on June 13, 2025, when nearly 200 residents of Yelwata, a rural community, were slaughtered in their sleep.
The aftermath of the attack saw more than 6,500 people from 1,069 households displaced, and the state plunged into a communication blackout due to a severed telecom fibre line. In some villages, feature phones without internet capability far outnumber smartphones, and many rural areas struggle with poor internet access, expensive devices, erratic electricity, widespread poverty, and limited connectivity.
The lack of reliable power poses an even greater obstacle to digital access in rural Benue. Despite these challenges, residents walk long distances to community markets to charge their phones at commercial charging stations. The state of Benue experienced at least 16 major network outages between May and June 16, 2025.
Decades of violence have plunged once-thriving farming communities in Benue into economic despair, making digital access even harder. Each splice of a fibre optic cable in Benue results in minor signal degradation and creates new points of vulnerability. In rural conflict zones like Yelwata, the cost of repairing telecom infrastructure rises significantly due to challenging terrain, armed conflict, and the need for additional spending on private security, mobile infrastructure, and specialised technical teams.
The attackers' advantage was a culmination of multiple failures, including chronic insecurity, ineffective government intervention, inadequate local emergency response, and vulnerable telecom infrastructure. However, efforts are underway to address these issues.
Calls for a state of emergency have been made following the June 2025 massacre where over 200 people were killed in Guma LGA by suspected herders. Civil society groups like YEAC-Nigeria have urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency, which would empower security operatives with extra powers to restore peace, protect lives, and prevent further attacks.
Discussions emphasize the urgent need for strong political commitment to combat terrorism, including the authorization of community policing or state police and improved border security to prevent the movement of armed groups into the state. Experts also highlight a failure of leadership at various levels to protect citizens adequately. Rebuilding trust between local communities and security agencies, accused of complicity or inaction, is seen as essential to effective response.
Although not specific to Benue alone, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Nigeria is actively strengthening emergency response capacities. For instance, their partnership with JICA aims to enhance flood preparedness and emergency response nationwide, reflecting a broader strategy that could benefit flood-affected areas in Benue.
Regarding telecom infrastructure, explicit strategies targeting Benue State in the context of improving emergency communication during violent attacks are not detailed in the current search results. However, enhancing communication networks is often integral to supporting community policing and rapid response mechanisms, suggesting that improvements in telecom infrastructure would be necessary as part of a comprehensive security and emergency strategy.
In conclusion, the current approach to improving emergency response in Benue centers on political commitment to security reforms, empowering security forces with emergency measures, rebuilding community trust, and leveraging national emergency management frameworks. Explicit telecom infrastructure improvements remain less documented but are implicit in calls for enhanced community policing and border security.
- In the rural areas of Benue State, where residents often struggle with poor internet access and limited connectivity, mobile technology has become crucial for charging smartphones at community markets, offering a vital links to the outside world amidst the communication blackouts.
- In the midst of the ongoing violence in Benue, discussions surrounding security reforms have highlighted the importance of community policing or state police, improved border security, and strong political commitment to combat terrorism, all of which could potentially enhance communication networks and emergency response mechanisms.
- Despite the challenges in digital access faced by rural communities in Benue due to factors like limited connectivity, erratic electricity, and poor infrastructure, the importance of stable technology like feature phones without internet capability has also been emphasized, providing a simple means of communication during emergencies.
