The Benue State Government has spent more than N160 million treating snakebite victims among internally displaced persons (IDPs) between March and September, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), James Iorpuu, has said.
James Iorpuu disclosed this on Friday while responding to complaints by IDP camp leaders about inadequate food supplies and poor living conditions.
He said the government had arranged medical treatment for displaced persons at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi, adding that SEMA had continued to provide healthcare and emergency assistance despite limited resources.
However, leaders of the Agagbe, Daudu and Mega IDP camps alleged that food distribution had become irregular, with some residents reportedly going about four months without receiving supplies.
They also cited inadequate shelter, poor sanitation, limited healthcare, lack of livelihood opportunities and insufficient humanitarian assistance among their concerns.
The camp leaders said their priority was to return safely to their ancestral communities, but some areas remained unsafe because of insecurity.
Iorpuu maintained that SEMA had continued distributing food and non-food items despite dwindling supplies. He also said the agency was working with humanitarian partners, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on resettlement initiatives.
He dismissed claims that a planned protest by IDPs was driven by food shortages, alleging that some individuals had encouraged the demonstration over restrictions on visits to the camps.
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