No deaths from Army medical mission says Anambra Government
John Ndu
The Anambra State Government says no deaths have been recorded over botched medical mission planned by the Nigerian Army.
“Nobody has died as a result of the exercise,’’ Ogbuefi Tony Nnachetta, Commissioner for Information and Communications Strategy said in Awka on Wednesday.
“Indeed the exercise has yet to take off, when rumours went out sending panic to communities in Ozubulu and Nnewi, with many withdrawing their children and wards from schools’’.
According to Nnachetta, the Army says they carry out such free medical missions as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) to citizens.
He recalled that only last week, the Army carried out such an exercise at Onitsha Military Cantonment, without any incidents.
Nnachetta added that a similar exercise was ongoing at Okwe, near Asaba in the Delta State.
Ogbuefi Nnachetta noted that before the Army embarked on the mission; they dully informed Presidents Generals and heads of Churches in the concerned areas.
He explained that perhaps, the only snag in exercise was that the Anambra State Government, particularly, the Ministry of Health was not carried along and could not have anticipated how misinformation crept into the exercise.
The Army Spokesman, Col. Sagir Musa in a release on Sept. 30, explained that they carry out free medical missions at which, they offer consultations, diagnosis, laboratory tests, dental and physiotherapy.
They also carry out de-worming of children, eye clinic as well as dispensing of medications and eye glasses.
It was gathered that the exercise had yet to commence, when rumours went out that the soldiers were out to inject people with Monkey Pox, ostensibly to spread the disease.
However, following panic generated by the exercise, the Anambra governor, Dr Willie Obiano has pleaded with the Army to suspend the exercise.
The Government has since enjoined the public to stop withdrawing their children and wards from schools as the situation was being handled.
“This is a product of unfounded rumour by unscrupulous elements to send panic, without clear mission as to what they are out to achieve.’’
Meanwhile, the security agencies in Anambra State have expressed their readiness to conduct the governorship election scheduled for Nov. 18.
The Chairman of the INEC/Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security and Commissioner for Police in the state, Mr Garba Umar gave the indication shortly after the meeting of the Committee at the INEC headquarters, Awka.
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