Chinwe Odita
The Benue State Government says it spent over N160 million treating internally displaced persons (IDPs) for snakebites between March and September, even as displaced families complain of food shortages and poor access to healthcare in camps.
The Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, James Iorpuu, disclosed this to journalists on Friday while responding to complaints about the welfare of IDPs.
Iorpuu said the agency had arranged for IDPs to receive treatment at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, amid inadequate support from humanitarian partners.
“Through this arrangement, this agency has spent more than N160 million on healthcare interventions between March and September for snake bites alone,” he said.
He added that SEMA had facilitated treatment for IDPs with serious illnesses and other emergencies, and that monthly food distributions had continued despite dwindling resources.
However, the claim comes against findings of a PREMIUM TIMES investigation which documented closure of health facilities, drug shortages and financial barriers to care in IDP camps.
The investigation, titled “Shut clinic deepens healthcare crisis in Benue IDP camp,” found that the health facility at Anyiin IDP camp in Logo Local Government Area, previously run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and later by the Victim Support Fund, stopped operating after support ended in January 2021.
A community health worker at the European Economic Community Health Clinic in Anyiin attributed the closure to inadequate funding and loss of medical supplies.
The report documented the case of eight-month-old Ngusurun Kengersha, who died on May 2 after her grandmother, Anaor Saawuan, said she could not afford a recommended blood transfusion. The family reportedly resorted to traditional remedy after failing to get treatment.
“There used to be a clinic here. Medicines were available, and treatment was free, until everything stopped,” Saawuan said.
The investigation also found that pregnant women pay for antenatal care at government facilities. Naomi Teryen, 32, said a visit to the Comprehensive Health Centre in Anyiin cost about N3,000, and that she was once turned away for coming with only N1,000.
A medical doctor and UNICEF consultant, Terrence Akighir, said multiple micronutrient supplements, MMS, for pregnant women should be provided free of charge and called for alleged charges to be investigated.
Leaders of Agagbe, Daudu and Mega IDP camps, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, described food assistance as irregular and inadequate. One said the last distribution was about four months ago.
“Following the engagement, another food distribution was eventually carried out, although it was insufficient compared with the needs of the population.
But since the last distribution about four months ago, we have not heard of anything again,” a camp leader said.
Another leader said many IDPs want to return home but cannot due to insecurity.
“What we are crying for now is how to leave the camp and return to our ancestral homes. Unfortunately, some of those communities are still not safe,” he said.
Iorpuu dismissed claims that a planned protest by IDPs was over food shortage, alleging that some individuals instigated it over restrictions on visits to camps.
He said SEMA was working with partners, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, on resettlement interventions.
The International Organisation for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix, Round 18, recorded 464,543 IDPs in Benue, with about 376,000, or 81 percent, in host communities and about 88,000 in camps and camp-like settings.
The SEMA statement did not provide a breakdown of the N160 million expenditure, number of patients treated, average cost per patient, or specific services covered, nor did it address the closure of the Anyiin camp clinic and gaps in routine healthcare highlighted by the investigation.
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