We’re Facing Incessant Snake Bites, Benue IDPs Cry Out

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Agagbe camp in Gwer West local government area of Benue State have been raised concerns of incessant snakebites.

One of the IDPs who simply identified himself as Ngueigba who raised the alarm on Sunday disclosed that over 12 displaced persons had suffered snakebites from January to date

Ngueigba told our correspondent on Sunday that a 14 -year-old boy identified as Chagu Terhemen was the latest victim of snakebite, which occurred last Friday.

He said, “Though elders in the area have applied traditional treatment which he said was working but on Sunday afternoon the victim started convulsing.

When asked if there had been cases of snakebites in the camp, Ngueigba said from January 2025 to date, over 12 persons were bitten by snakes in the camp, but no death has been recorded.

Most of the victims were being treated with traditional medicine, he said, and accused the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) of negligence.

He said, “The camp manager said that they cannot treat him because he is not staying in the camp, but Terhemen is duly registered with the registration 81XO1649. However, he is staying within the host community.”

When contacted, the information officer of SEMA, Tema Ager, said the agency has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, where the victim should be taken for treatment.

“As long as the victim is a registered IDP, they should take him to BSUTH for treatment,” Anger said.