As a 14-year-old boy struggles for survival, displaced persons accuse authorities of neglect, claiming that at least 12 people have been bitten this year.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps at Agagbe, Benue State, have raised the alarm over a surge in snakebite incidents, saying no fewer than twelve people have been bitten since January.
A displaced person, identified as Terna Ibaah, told reporters that the latest victim is a 14-year-old boy, Chagu Terhemen, who was bitten last Friday while on his way to the farm with his father. According to Ibaah, the boy, who was displaced from his village in Sengev Council Ward, had not received proper medical care.
“Snake has bitten Master Chagu Terhemen, 14, who was displaced from his village, Tse Abian, in Sengev Council Ward of Gwer West LGA,” Ibaah said, noting that elders in the camp resorted to traditional treatment. He added that while the traditional treatment seemed to work initially, the boy began convulsing on Sunday, prompting him to speak out.
Ibaah accused the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) representative in the camp of neglecting the victim, saying the official claimed they couldn’t treat the boy because he was not staying inside the camp.
“The camp manager said they cannot treat him because he is not staying inside the camp,” Ibaah stated. “But he knows that due to congestion in the camps, some registered IDPs stay with host communities. The victim’s registration number is 81XO1649.”
He explained that many IDPs choose to stay with host communities because the five designated camps—RCM Primary School, Sisters Convent, Saint Francis Secondary School, Old Police Station, and Adzequa Store—are all severely overcrowded.
When contacted, Tema Ager, the Information Officer for SEMA, said the agency has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, where victims can be taken for treatment.
“SEMA has an MoU with the State University Teaching Hospital where they can rush the patient for treatment,” Ager clarified, adding that as long as the victim is a registered IDP, they should be allowed to receive treatment at the hospital.
