Metro

Strange Ailments Ravage Benue IDPs Camps As Food, Medical Supplies Dry Up

Published

2 years ago

August 25, 2023

Some victims of the ailment

The dire condition of internally displaced persons, IDPs, in Benue State has become a major source of concern requiring urgent intervention. The state is currently grappling with over two million IDPs taking refuge in camps and host communities, but to make matters worse is the deteriorating condition of the IDPs in their temporary camps abode.

From the army of children and youths who have been deprived of basic social amenities and the opportunity to attend school to nursing mothers who now use toilets as delivery rooms, in addition to the outbreak of strange ailments, the Benue IDP camps may be mistaken for enclaves for rejected and forgotten people.

The recent reports of pregnant women and their husbands, as well as some victims of ravaging diseases in one of the camps located in Agagbe, an isolated community in Gwer West Local Government Area, LGA, of the state, have left many in utter shock and disbelief. The IDPs seemed to have been abandoned to their fate; aside from the peripheral support and intervention they get from spirited organizations, there is nothing concrete in terms of medical support and food supplies.

One of the mothers who lost her baby in the camp, 27-year-old Shipinen Adoo, from Tse-Atakpa village, Sengev Council Ward, who lives in the camp with her husband, narrated her ordeal. She said: “I became pregnant while in the IDP camp, and I struggled because we had no money to access medical treatment until a few days ago, when I gave birth to a dead premature baby boy. I have also not felt well since then. That is the condition most of us are facing in the camp, yet nothing is being done to save the lives of those who need urgent intervention.”

Also, 40-year-old Ayoo Ngwa narrated how his pregnant wife was taken into a latrine in the camp for the delivery of her baby for lack of proper support. “When my pregnant wife started noticing that she wanted to deliver her child, she was taken to a latrine for delivery. Though not a healthy place, that is where most women in the camp are taken for delivery. That is what we are facing in the camp. Nobody cares about our situation. We have been abandoned to our fate,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, another 40-year-old mother of three, Tuna Agagbe, whose child is afflicted with a strange skin disease, also narrated her experience. She said: “Few days ago, my daughter Eucharia started scratching her body. I went and bought some medicine for her, but her condition got worse everyday, and now it has developed into wounds. I don’t know what to do next since I have no money to take her to the hospital to find out what is wrong and get treatment. As we speak, many children are also down with skin diseases.”

Speaking on the development, the camp manager, Jacob Ibaah, lamented that the IDPs were facing a dire situation that needed urgent intervention. According to him, two inmates had already lost their babies in the last few days. “One was a premature birth, the other one lost the baby while giving birth. Both incidents happened on Sunday and Monday last week.

“As we speak, there is hunger in the camp. Also, they (pregnant women) have no money to go to the hospital; so they delivered in the camp. Even a place to give birth is also a problem here; there is a space and a toilet built by Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, which is where most women here use for baby delivery. If they don’t have money to go to the hospital, they use the toilet. They give birth there since we are currently congested in the rooms. It’s really tough. And the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, is aware of this development.

“Also, there is also the issue of an outbreak of measles and other diseases here in the camp. Already, we have identified six children who are down with measles, and they have yet to receive medical attention. But as an alternative, they are taking native herbs. It is indeed a bad situation,” he informed.

Speaking on the condition of the IDPs, the Executive Secretary of Benue SEMA, Mr. James Iorpuu, who claimed that the agency was on top of the situation, said: “I allotted 200 bags of rice to them during the last food distribution exercise.”

VANGUARD

Metro

Why I Charged My Husband Money For Sex —Woman

Published

8 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Editor

Matero Local Court, Zambia, has heard how a woman from Chisamba, sexually starved her husband for four years, after he failed to pay her K3,000 she charged him for having a child out of wedlock.

According to Zambia Observer, Sophia Kwale, 32, a teacher by profession, said in line with her tradition, as admission of guilt for having a child, her husband, Samuel Chongo, 38, was supposed to pay her the money commonly known as ‘ndapusa’ (admission of guilt).

“In my tradition, when a man has a child outside wedlock, he is supposed to apologise by paying ndapusa.

“This can be in money or material form.

“I asked him to pay me K3,000 only or he wasn’t going to have sex with me,” she said.

Sophia said her husband later refused to pay ndapusa but wanted to have sex with her, so she charged him K500 which he paid instantly before she allowed him to engage in the act.

“I charged him K500 to make love with me and he paid it instantly.

“This was only last month. Before that, we last had sex in 2021.

“I didn’t even enjoy the sex because it was forced,” she said.

Metro

Organ Harvesting: Ekiti Sacks Surgeon After Panel’s Findings, Suspends Support Staff

Published

9 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Editor

Ekiti State government has dismissed the Surgeon who had primary responsibility for the surgery of a patient whose kidneys were removed from the service of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) with immediate effect.

This followed the submission of the report of the 7-man investigation panel chaired by Professor Francis Faduyile to the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Oyebanji Filani.

Recall the panel was constituted 11 days ago to investigate the claim made by a patient, Mr. Joshua Afolayan regarding a surgical procedure he underwent at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).

According to a statement by Filani, “Upon careful review of the report and its recommendations, the Ekiti State government has approved the following actions:

“That the surgeon who had primary responsibility for the surgery is to be dismissed from the service of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) with immediate effect.

“All members of the surgical team present in the theatre on the day of the operation are to be suspended from duty for a period of one month, pending further administrative review.

“The Ekiti State government will bear the full cost of a new kidney transplant for Afolayan, will take responsibility for his post-transplant care as well as transplant related medical maintenance for a period of two years.

“In line with the recommendations of the panel, a comprehensive reorganisation of relevant departments within EKSUTH will be undertaken to strengthen clinical governance, accountability, and patient safety.”

Filani said that while the Ekiti State government continues to stand firmly behind the many dedicated and hardworking health professionals at EKSUTH and acknowledges their sacrifices and commitment to service, it would not hesitate to take decisive action where professional standards are breached.

“The government remains resolute in its commitment to protecting patients, upholding ethical and professional standards in healthcare delivery, and restoring and sustaining public confidence in the Ekiti State health system.

“Necessary reforms will be pursued to ensure that incidents of this nature do not re-occur and that EKSUTH continues to serve as a centre of excellence in patient care.

“We thank the people of Ekiti State for their patience, and trust, and we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to continued improvement in quality health care, compassion, and responsible governance.”

Metro

My Ex-husband Has Refused To Give Me, Our Unborn Child, Money For Upkeep, Woman Tells Court

Published

9 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Editor

Please, grant me time to settle the issue —Husband

A pregnant woman, Harira Aliyu, has asked a Shari’a court sitting in Rigasa, Kaduna State, to compel her former husband, Nasiru Al-Hassan to provide financial support for her upkeep.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the complainant also prayed the court to confirm one pronouncement of divorce made by Nasiru in March.

“I am eight months pregnant. Since our divorce in March, he has only been able to send me money for two months for my upkeep and our unborn child.

“It is important that he continues to provide for me as I await delivery in a month’s time,” she told the court.

In his defense, the defendant who spoke through his counsel, Abubakar Sani, said he was just briefed recently.

He asked the court to give him more time to respond to the petition.

The judge, Malam Mukhtar Aliyu adjourned the case.