At least twelve Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Agagbe camps, Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, have been bitten by snakes since January 2025.
Families say poor medical support is putting lives at risk.
The latest victim is 14-year-old Chagu Terhemen, who was bitten last Friday while heading to the farm with his father.
Chagu, displaced from Tse Abian village in Sengev Ward, was treated with traditional medicine, but by Sunday afternoon he began convulsing.
His family feared the worst as medical teams only visit the camps between Monday and Thursday.
An IDP, Terna Ibaah, told reporters that Chagu’s case reflects a wider crisis. “From January till now, we have recorded 12 victims of snake bites in Agagbe.
Fortunately, no one has died. But most victims are treated with herbs because medical help is scarce,” he said.
Ibaah accused camp officials of neglect.
He claimed that the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) refused to treat Chagu because he currently stays with the host community due to congestion in the camps.
“The camp manager said they cannot treat him because he is not staying inside the camp, but he is a registered IDP,” Ibaah added.
Overcrowding is another concern. According to Ibaah, IDPs in Agagbe are scattered across five makeshift shelters: RCM Primary School, Sisters Convent, Saint Francis Secondary School, the old police station, and Adzequa store.
He stressed that all are congested and lack proper medical facilities.
Responding to the complaints, SEMA’s Information Officer, Tema Ager, said the agency has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi.
He explained that registered IDPs can be rushed there for treatment.
“As long as the victim is a registered IDP, he should be allowed to receive treatment at the teaching hospital,” Ager clarified.
Despite this assurance, IDPs say many victims still depend on traditional remedies because access to formal medical treatment is delayed or denied.
Families are now appealing for urgent government intervention to prevent deaths in the overcrowded camps.
