Benue State
Benue is a state in Nigeria's North Central geopolitical zone.
- Capital
- Makurdi
- Population
- 6.2M
- Total area
- 30,873 km²
- LGAs
- 23
- House Reps (total)
- 11
- IGR (2024)
- ₦20.4B
- Capital
- Makurdi
- Population
- 6.2M
- 2023 estimate
- Land area
- 30,873 km²
- LGAs
- 23
- Senate seats
- 3
- IGR (2024)
- ₦20.4B
- internally generated revenue
Sub-national administrative units
Local government areas (23)
23 constitutional tier-3 units
Geopolitical synthesis
Benue in the federation
Benue is a state in Nigeria's North Central geopolitical zone.
Bordering territories & maritime boundaries
- Land bordersCross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kogi, Nassarawa, Taraba
- International borderRepublic of Benin
Quick facts
- Date created
- 1976
- Known as
- Food Basket of the Nation
- Population
- ~6,200,000
- Climate classification
- Tropical Wet & Dry / Savanna
- LGAs
- 23
- Distance to Abuja
- 253 km
Languages, stories and places to explore
Languages spoken
Major cities
Makurdi · Gboko · Otukpo
What to explore · learn
Benue's nickname reflects its role as one of Nigeria's largest producers of yams, soybeans, and citrus.
The state is the traditional home of the Tiv people (one of Nigeria's largest ethnic groups) and the Idoma people, each with distinct language and masquerade traditions.
Kwagh-hir is Tiv theatre that mixes puppetry, masquerade, music, dance and storytelling, inscribed by UNESCO in 2019.
The Tor Tiv is the paramount ruler of the Tiv, with his palace at Gboko.
GbokoIdoma communities honour the ancestral spirit Alekwu in a festival of masquerades, communal hunting and rites before the harvest.
Mar/Apr · annualOtukpoAdoOkpokwuThe Och'Idoma is the paramount ruler of the Idoma, whose palace at Otukpo is the focus of the Alekwu festival.
OtukpoThe Igede of Oju and Obi celebrate the new yam with the Ige-Agba festival.
Sep · annualOjuObi
Cultural groups & homelands
Tiv
13 LGAsTiv heartland of Benue State under the Tor Tiv; the Tiv also live in Nasarawa, Taraba and Plateau states.
Idoma
7 LGAsIdoma communities of southern Benue State around Otukpo, seat of the Och'Idoma.
Igede
2 LGAsIgede-speaking communities of Oju and Obi in south-eastern Benue State.
Major celebrations
- Mar/Apr · annualOtukpo · Ado · Okpokwu
- Sep · annualOju · Obi
Cultural institutions
The Tor Tiv is the paramount ruler of the Tiv, with his palace at Gboko.
Gboko
The Och'Idoma is the paramount ruler of the Idoma, whose palace at Otukpo is the focus of the Alekwu festival.
Otukpo
Metro areas
Makurdi Metropolis
Benue State's capital, on the Benue River, and the state's main administrative and trading hub.