A 14-year-old internally displaced boy, Chagu Terhemen, has died from a snake bite in Benue State.
The incident occurred last Friday while Terhemen was accompanying his father to their farm at Tse Kyomke Mbapupuu in Gaambe Ushin Council Ward, Gwer West Local Government Area.
According to fellow displaced person Terna Ibaah, the boy initially received traditional treatment but began convulsing shortly afterward. Acting on the directive of the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), James Iorpuu, the teenager was later taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, where he died on September 1.
Ibaah disclosed that snake bites have become a recurring threat among internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Agagbe camps. “From January until now, we have recorded 12 snake-bite cases among IDPs in Agagbe. Sadly, this is the first fatality,” he said.
The SEMA Information Officer, Tema Ager, confirmed that the agency has an existing arrangement with the Benue State University Teaching Hospital to treat registered IDPs at no cost.
The tragedy has renewed concerns about the health risks faced by displaced persons in Benue, especially those living in overcrowded camps and host communities.