Adamawa widows complain of rising death of their members

Widows in Adamawa state have complained the rising rate at which their members are dying describing the situation as “alarming.”

The secretary of the association, Mrs. Sarah Apagu, attributed the situation to the terrible living condition as a result of economic downturn in the country.

Speaking at the weekend Mrs. Apagu appealed to the federal and state governments and other relevant humanitarian agencies to halt the disaster facing the widows by coming to their rescue and their children in the state.

Apagu disclosed that at least 10 widows die every month in the state “because of their terrible living condition.’’

“We have about 25,000 registered widows in the state arising from the Boko Haram Insurgency.

“So far, we have been able to discover and register additional 2,000 widows whose husbands were killed by Boko Haram in the state.

“Our registered members have increased from 25,000 to 27,000 and we are still going round collecting data of the widows especially in some areas like Madagali, Michika among others,” Apagu said.

She said that from reliable statistics, a significant number of the members of the association suffered chronic and some unidentified sicknesses.

‘’The worst aspect is that, they have no access to medical facility.’’

Apagu, a retired civil servant, said that she lost her husband in 1993 and left to cater for her four children, while still waiting for her retirement gratuity benefit.

She also said that between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of members of the association members with their children lived in terrible condition.

She lamented that almost all the children of the affected widows were out of school because of the deteriorating living situation, adding that some of the orphan children indulged in drug abuse.

According to her, the teenage girls are also into prostitution to keep soul and body alive .

“We have gone to many places, seeking for assistance for our members, but nothing is forthcoming.”