The European Union (EU) has released €225,000, equivalent to about N340 million, in humanitarian assistance to support communities affected by conflict-induced displacement in Kebbi State.
The funding, according to the EU, will enable the Nigerian Red Cross to provide lifesaving assistance to displaced persons in the state over a six-month period.
The intervention will prioritise multipurpose cash assistance, allowing affected families to meet their most urgent needs, alongside protection services for vulnerable persons.
The EU said the response would also involve continuous monitoring of population movements and the engagement of local volunteers, while helping to lay the foundation for longer-term recovery efforts by other humanitarian actors.
The assistance is expected to reach approximately 7,700 conflict-displaced persons living across settlements and host communities in Kebbi State.
Priority will be given to vulnerable groups, including female-headed households, persons with disabilities, elderly people and individuals facing acute protection risks.
The funding forms part of the EU’s broader contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund, DREF of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Security in Kebbi State has deteriorated following an escalation of armed attacks and communal violence across seven Local Government Areas.
The EU said displacement had been ongoing since mid-August, but a sharp escalation in violence around August 31, 2026, triggered the humanitarian response.
The crisis has affected more than 16,600 people across the state, with 7,706 people displaced and 108 others injured.
Displaced families staying in temporary settlements and host communities are facing urgent needs for shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection amid a security environment characterised by organised banditry, armed group activity and communal violence.
The EU said the latest intervention is its commitment to supporting people affected by conflicts and disasters based on humanitarian needs.
The European Union and its Member States are among the world’s leading humanitarian donors, providing relief aimed at saving lives, preventing and alleviating human suffering, and protecting the dignity of people affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.
