Exclusive: 67-year-old snakebite victim cries out for help

*Stays in Borno IDPs camp with family for 6 years

*Needs N5m for rehabilitation

By Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja

A 67-year-old man who was displaced in his ancestral home in Mafa local government area of Borno State by the Boko Haram insurgents in 2016 has been bitten by a snake.

The distraught man, who simply identified himself as ‘Abubakar’ in an exclusive interview with The Daily Times, also called on the federal, state governments and public- spirited individuals to come to assist him since he has no money to seek proper medical care.

Sitting under a neem tree in the scorching sun at the Muna Garage Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp, an outskirt of Maiduguri, Abubakar, who looked exhausted, having suffered for 10 days without proper medical attention, was busy chasing flies with his hand from the wound he sustained on his foot as a result of the snakebite.

Narrating his ordeal with the help of an interpreter, Abubakar told our correspondent that, “I was bitten by the snake about 10 days ago.

Since the incident happened, I could not go to the hospital for proper medical care because I have no money.

“I went to a traditional healer who was able to draw out the poison. He repeated the process about six times and what you see (pointing to the affected part of the leg) is after the venom was removed.

“The treatment is very cheap; I only need to pay N50 and other local items to get treated’’.

Abubakar, who was displaced from his ancestral home by Boko Haram in 2016, further disclosed that he has been living in the makeshift huts at Muna camp with his wife and six children for about six years now.

He also disclosed that life has been difficult for him since he could no longer go to the farm – the means to carter for his family.

Calling on the Federal and Borno State governments and individuals to assist him, Abubakar said that he will need about N5million for rehabilitation.

He said, “Everything I had, my family house, property and my farmland  were  destroyed by the insurgents. I need financial support  to start all over again”.

Abubakar, who added that he could no  longer do menial jobs to take care of his family,  said that having been left to their fates  as no relief materials  were forthcoming from government, some of the IDPs have decided to take their destinies in their hands by doing menial jobs for survival.

He said, “You can also see the reed-made tents we live in. Whenever it rains, we cannot sleep until the rain stops.  

Our children usually get drenched and fall sick. When the rains are over, we are confronted with another problem of windstorm that wreaks havoc on our tents.’’

Daily Times recalls that ever  since Boko Haram began their attacks, property worth billions of naira have been destroyed, many people have been displaced just as their lives have been shattered, traumatized and their future brought to standstill.

Incidentally, Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, has been the epicentre of insurgent activities with the attendant killings of innocent people and destruction of properties.

The city witnessed the birth of Boko Haram, subsequent years of violence, as well as the emergence of more than 300,000 IDPs fleeing their villages that were being attacked.

Informal and formal IDP camps have sprung up around the city, repurposing old government grounds, abandoned lots and real estate to give shelter to those fleeing.

It is instructive to state that in about 100 sites across the city, vulnerable Nigerians, majority of whom are women and children, struggle to find ways to rebuild their lives.

Currently,  Muna camp is housing about 49,000 families.