Benue State

Benue State is a state in North Central part of Nigeria. It shares border with Boki LGA in Cross River State

Understand

Benue State's slogan is "Food basket of the nation", and the major occupation in the state is farming. The state is known for exporting food to other states in Nigeria. Popularly grown crops include: oranges, mangoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, soya bean, guinea corn, flax, yams, sesame, rice, groundnuts, and palm trees.

It is inhabited predominantly by the Tiv, Idoma, Igede and Etulo peoples.

Benue State possesses a rich and diverse cultural heritage which finds expression in colourful cloths, exotic masquerades, supplicated music and dances. Traditional dances from Benue State have won acclaim at national and international cultural festivals. The most popular of these dances include Ingyough, Ange, Anchanakupa, Swange and Ogirinya.

Cities

• 1 Makurdi (including Kanshio)
• 2 Otukpo
• 3 Gboko
• 4 Katsina-ala

Get in

By plane

There is an airport at Makurdi, the state's capital. You can fly there from any part of Nigeria.

By bus

There are bus terminals across the state. GIGM, God’s Will Transport Services, Pleasure Travels, Nyanya Transport Company and Yaman Transport Company operate in the state.

By boat

The Benue River traverses the state. It is one of the main tributaries of the Niger River, and it is navigable and a major transportation route.

Get around

By bus

You can move around the state by bus. You can easily get a bus at any bus terminal at cheap rate

By bike

This is the most preferred means of transportation especially for short distance journey.

See

Natural attractions in Benue State include hills and ranges such as Ikyogen, Abande, Ngokur, Mkar, Ushongo and Harga. There is a heavily wooded natural trench at Tse-Mker which is believed to be inhabited by dangerous creatures including Pythons. Gurgul is a waterfall on Katsina Ala River. The border stretch adjoining the Obudu/South Cameroon Plateau ranges features forests, dissected hills, dykes, dozens of fast flowing streams and incised valleys.

In the dry season, the water level in both the Benue River and Katsina-Ala River falls, giving rise to sandy river beaches and clean shallow waters. The waters are used for recreational boating and swimming.

At Orokam in Ogbadibo Local government areas, occurs the Enumabia Warm Spring. At Epwa-Ibilla, Andi-Ibilla, Uchenyum-Ibilla, Okochi-Uwokwu, Irachi-Uwokwu, Ette-Uda-Uwokwu, Odepa-Uwokwu, Igbegi-Ipinu-Uwokwu, Edde-Ibilla-Uwokwu, and Ohuma-Uwokwu of Oju, are springs of clean water. There are masses of unusually tall trees in the deep valleys and on the pretty steep highlands, which are all however inhabited.

Historical monuments in the state include the Royal Niger Company Trading Stores at Makurdi and Gbileve near Katsina-Ala; the tombs of the first Dutch missionaries at Harga and Sai in Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas; the tombs of the legendary politician, Mr. J. S. Tarka and past three Tor Tiv in Gboko town; and the trench fortifications in Turan district of Kwande local government areas which were dug by the Tiv to ward off Chamba invasions in the 19th century.

At Utonkon, is a thick forest with tall giant trees, the centre of which used to serve as a slave trade market, but is now the site of shrines and a periodic market. Swem is a shrine site at the foot of the Cameroon range in Kwande local government area from where the Tivs were said to have originated.

Do

The Alekwu ancestral festival of the Idoma people is an occasion when the local people believe their ancestors re-established contact with the living in the form of masquerades.

The Igede-Agba is a yam festival, marked every year in September by the Igede people of Oju and Obi local government areas. Among the Tiv, the Tiv Day, marriage ceremonies and dance competitions (e.g. Swange dance) are often very colourful. Kwagh-Hir is a very entertaining Tiv puppet show.

Buy

You can get most foodstuffs and agriculture products at cheap prices in this state especially at their local markets.

Eat

Foods in Benue State is very cheap and you can see local restaurants almost everywhere.

• Lady F Restaurant, Makir Zakpe Way, 981101, Gboko. (updated Dec 2021)
• Sena restaurant, Gboko Road, 981101, Gboko. (updated Dec 2021)

Connect

There is Mtn, Airtel, Glo and etisalat in most of the cities in the state but the rural towns suffer network problem over there

Go next

• Boki
• Cross River State
• Obudu