At least 12 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Agagbe camp, Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, have fallen victim to snake bites since the start of 2025.
The latest case involves 14-year-old Chagu Terhemen, who was bitten last Friday and is now in critical condition due to delays in accessing medical care.
According to fellow IDP Terna Ibaah, the teenager—originally displaced from Tse Abian village in Sengev Ward—was attacked while accompanying his father to the farm in Gaambe Ushin Council Ward. His family first resorted to traditional remedies, but his health deteriorated rapidly over the weekend.
“We are afraid of losing the boy because medical personnel only visit the camp between Monday and Thursday,” Ibaah explained.
He further revealed that 12 snake bite cases have been recorded in the camp this year alone, though no fatalities have occurred yet. Many victims, however, depend on local treatments due to inadequate government response.
Complications also arose when the camp manager initially declined to approve treatment for Terhemen, arguing that he lived outside the main settlement despite being a registered IDP with number 81XO1649. Overcrowding has forced many IDPs into surrounding host communities, outside the designated five camp sites: RCM Primary School, Sisters Convent, Saint Francis Secondary School, Old Police Station, and Adzequa Store.
Responding to concerns, Tema Ager, Information Officer of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), confirmed that a standing agreement exists with the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, for the treatment of registered IDPs bitten by snakes.
“If the victim is a registered IDP, he should be taken to BSUTH immediately. Benue SEMA has an MOU with the hospital for such cases,” Ager said.
Meanwhile, Terhemen’s case highlights the worsening health risks faced by displaced persons living in congested, poorly managed IDP settlements across Benue.
