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Benue State

State of Nigeria

  • 18 min read
  • 8 chapters
Sunset at the Benue river, the fishermen retires home, the birds fly back, a home time for everyone. I waited at the river bank for 7 hours to capture the moment.
Agbendeh Simon · CC BY-SA 4.0

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History

Benue State is a legacy of an administrative entity that was carved out of the protectorate of northern Nigeria at the beginning of the twentieth century. The territory was initially known as Munshi Province until 1918 when the name of its dominant geographical feature, the Benue River was adopted.

Benue State is named after the Benue River and was formed from the former Benue-Plateau State in 1976, along with Igala and some parts of Kwara State. In 1991, some areas of Benue state (mostly the Igala-speaking area), along with areas in Kwara State, were clubbed together to form the new Kogi State. Igbo people are found in the boundary areas like the Obi, Oju and Ado Local Government Areas. It is known as the "Heartbeat of the Middle Belt" and the "Entertainment Capital of the Middle Belt" north of the Niger River. Otukpo, the Idoma people's traditional and administrative capital, is also known as the Lion's Heart and the Land of the Brave.

Population structure and distribution

Benue State, which is located in the North Central region of Nigeria, has a total population of 4,253,641 in the 2006 census, with an average population density of 99 persons per km2. This makes Benue the 9th most populous state in Nigeria. However, the distribution of the population according to Local government areas shows marked duality.

There are areas of low population density, such as Guma, Ohimini, Tarka, Apa, Logo and Agatu, each with less than seventy persons per km2, while Vandeikya, Ukum, Kwande, Otukpo, Okpokwu, and Gboko have densities ranging from 160 persons to 200 persons per km2. Makurdi LGA has over 380 persons per km2. The males are 49.8 percent of the total population while females constitute 50.2 per cent.

Settlement pattern and urbanization

Benue State region was depleted of its human population during the slave trade. It is largely rural, with scattered settlements mainly in tiny compounds or homesteads, whose population range from 630 people, most of whom are farmers.

Urbanization in Benue State did not predate the colonial era. The few towns established during colonial rule remained very small (less than 30,000 people) up to the creation of Benue State in 1976.

Benue towns can be categorised into three groups. The first group consists of those with a population of 80,000 to 500,000 people. These include Makurdi, the State Capital, Gboko and Otukpo the "headquarters" of the two dominant ethnic groups (125,944 and 88,958 people respectively). The second group comprises towns with a population of between 20,000 and 50,000 people and includes Katsina-Ala, Zaki-Biam, Vandeikya and Adikpo. These are all local government headquarters. The third category comprises towns with a population of 10,000 to 19,000 people and includes, Lessel, Ihugh, Naka, Adoka, Aliade, Okpoga, Igumale, Oju, Utonkon, Ugbokolo, Wannune, Ugbokpo, Otukpa, Ugba and Korinya. Most of these towns are headquarters of recently created Local Government Areas and/or district headquarters or major market areas. Some of the headquarters of the newly created LGAs have populations of less than 10,000 people. Such places include Tse-Agberaba, Gbajimba, Buruku, Idekpa, Obagaji and Obarikeito. Apart from earth roads, schools, periodic markets and chemists (local drug stores), the rural areas are largely used for farming, relying on the urban centres for most of their urban needs. Benue State has no problem of capital city primacy. Rather, three towns stand out very clearly as important urban centres which together account for more than 70 per cent of the social amenities provided in the state and almost all the industrial establishments. These centres are Makurdi, Gboko and Otukpo. They are among the oldest towns in the state and are growing at a much faster rate than the smaller younger towns.

Makurdi doubles as the capital of the state and the headquarters of Makurdi LGA, while Gboko, Otukpo and Oju double as the local government and ethnic headquarters (i.e. for Tiv, Idoma, and Igede). All the roads in the state radiate from these three centres. As an administrative unit, Benue State was first created on 3 February 1976. It was one of the seven states created by the military administration headed by General Murtala Mohammed, which increased the number of states in the country from 13 to 19. In 1991, its boundaries were re-adjusted with the creation of Kogi State. The new Benue State of today has twenty-three (23) local government areas, which are administered by local government councils.

In recent period, Benue State has been a flashpoint for insecurity in Nigeria; it has witnessed frequent clashes between indigenous farmers and Fulani herders and other jihadist attacks which has led to incessant killings, difficulty in farming and has displaced lots of people. In June 2025, over 100 people were murdered in Yelwata village.

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