Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) announced that it has spent more than N160 million on treating snakebite victims among internally displaced persons (IDPs) between March and September. The expenditure is part of a wider effort to deliver healthcare, food, protection, education, resettlement and livelihood support to the state’s vulnerable populations.
Executive Secretary James Iorpuu said the money was directed solely toward snakebite treatment, noting that the agency had also arranged for IDPs requiring medical care to be seen at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH). “We have medical personnel coordinating the process, including two nurses working with the hospital to assess patients, stabilise them and refer them to specialists where necessary,” Iorpuu explained.
Transportation remains a major challenge. “We do not have sufficient mobility resources to convey patients to medical facilities promptly, but we continue to make arrangements to ensure that those who need medical attention receive assistance,” he added. The agency also continues to distribute food, despite a reduction in available supplies.
In addition to healthcare, SEMA has trained 248 community reporters to monitor incidents in IDP camps and surrounding communities. Where sexual or gender‑based violence is reported, cases are referred to police for action. The agency also supports education, with 163 displaced children enrolled in a federal secondary school exchange programme.
Resettlement efforts include moving displaced persons out of school buildings in Naka to a designated location and relocating about 110 individuals to Akile in Makurdi Local Government Area, where they can begin farming and other productive activities. “The idea is to provide them with opportunities to cultivate crops, harvest their produce, sell it and keep the proceeds rather than depend indefinitely on humanitarian assistance,” Iorpuu said.
SEMA is working with humanitarian partners, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to facilitate resettlement and help families rebuild livelihoods. “These challenges cannot be addressed by SEMA alone. We need coordinated efforts involving the state and federal governments, local authorities, humanitarian organisations and affected communities,” the Executive Secretary said.
Ultimately, the agency’s objective is to enable displaced persons to return to their ancestral homes when it is safe, while those who cannot return immediately are provided with decent shelter, healthcare, education and sustainable livelihoods.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
