Effect of Armed Conflict on Socioeconomic Well-Being of Survivors’ Households in Benue State

This study investigates the effect of armed conflict on the socioeconomic well-being of survivors’ households in Benue State, using a survey design via a cross-sectional approach that involves field and sample surveys. The study adopted purposive and simple random sampling techniques to select survivors’ households that represented the population under study. Data were collected by administering a well-structured questionnaire as the primary research instrument, developed along the lines of the research objectives stated for the study. A total of 384 questionnaires were distributed/administered to survivors’ households living in IDP camps in Benue State. The data collected for this study were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) analysis. Results suggest that armed conflict reduces the socioeconomic well-being of survivors’ households in all three dimensions: household income, education, and health. The SUR model suggests that armed conflict shows a significant negative effect on household income and health. Some policy recommendations, such as government at all levels working towards enhancing security measures that are effective in reducing the frequency and/or number of attacks in the affected communities in particular, and Benue State at large, were suggested.