KiNG JAMES YiYE in Makurdi...
The
crisis situation in Benue, North Central Nigeria is alarming, every day
Fulani herdsmen attack defenceless homes, killing anyone their sporadic
bullets catch. Women, children and the aged are displaced from their
ancestral homes even few kilometers to the state capital, Makurdi.
It was in October 2012 when, I was here in Makurdi to report life at the Wurukum Camp.
People
of different tribes were all gathered here, driven and displaced by one
thing; water they never needed, water released from the Lagdo Dam in
Cameroon.
Some
of the people I reported about were 42 pregnant women in one camp
alone, three had given birth and few others were expecting shortly
before they returned home. It’s a year-five months after and tracKiNG
them now to know how they are doing isn't very easy for me, but I have
that in mind.
Today,
what I see here at St. Mary's Primary School, North Bank in Makurdi is
far worse than what I saw at Wurukum. Hundreds of people have been
'raked' out of their ancestral homes by Fulani Herdsmen who would rather
have their cattle graze on farmlands.
One
man tells me the Military and the Police are giving the herdsmen cover
to shoot and kill his people, but once his men attempt defending
themselves, the Military shoots them down. No one has called for the
investigation of this. He has lost a son in the crisis.
Camp Situation
According to Camp Secretary Jacob Adoh, a man in his 40's wearing a dirty white t-shirt bearing International Toilet Day-talk about shit for a week, “the population here (as at March 20, 2014) is about 850 people, but people are coming every day, we have more than 1000 now”.
For this number given by Jacob, only 6 toilets or pit latrines are available.
One
of the striKiNG things here is to see a population of more than 850
people share 13 blocks of between 2 to 3 classrooms, this means more
than 22 people in a 4x5 meter room.
Children
are playing freely but Jacob Adoh’s son has been following his father,
crying for food, he doesn’t seem to understand he is not at home, and no
place like home.
Some other children are seen cooKiNG ‘rice’ in small tin tomato cans, same way girl-children in normal home settings do.
Acute Water Shortage
Camp
Chairman, 55 year old Fidelis Zungwe Atule tells me water was last
supplied by the National Emergency Management Agency, on Monday this
week. He says it takes about three days for them to see supply here.
LooKiNG at the 11,000 liter capacity water tanker brought by NEMA and
the population of atleast 850, that's an average of 12.9 liters of
water per person for 3 days. Further breakdown leaves each person with 4
liters a day, for drinKiNG, bathing, cooKiNG, brushing, washing etc.
This supply is not enough by any standard.
But
the problem of water goes beyond just inadequate and irregular
supplies, storage is an issue as these people don't even have containers
for the water, therefore, my initial perceived usage of 4 liters for 3
days is even far below reality, they simply don't have enough containers
to store up to half of what the tanker brings.
Children Dying
Zungwe Tule says a total of 3 children have died so far, the latest just yesterday and many more are sick.
He says the Parish Priest at St. Mary's Parish North Bank had given them some medical attention but they still need more, "medical team has come here just about three times", he adds.
It
is too early to speculate, but from what I'm seeing here, possible
cholera or diarrhea outbreaks and some form of common cough is eminent.
Meet the Daudus:
The
main deserted village in this crisis is called Daudu, few kilometers to
Makurdi from Abuja. Two wives of Daudu are here. Daudu himself died in
1956, so I’m told.
Daudu’s Wife Number 1:
· Mama Uzaanyi whose name means what did you go with? is a daughter ofBaver Kuji married to Daudu Tse in the 1930’s. Mama
Uzaanyi had up to six children with Daudu Tse, therefore, she must have
spent atleast 12 years with Daudu before his death. Mama's first son is
about 75yrs, according Camp Secretary Jacob Adoh.
‘How old are you?’ I ask Mama, fully aware she wouldn’t be certain, [LAUGHS] “my years are funny, I’m 15 years [LAUGHS AGAIN]. On further questioning, Mama Uzaanyi tells me she remembers His Royal Highness Tor Tiv Makir Zakpe and Saudana.
Mama Uzaanyi is partially blind, she could see me or at least describe my hair. By my estimation, this woman could be 90yrs.
Her major need is small money for garri, coke and rice. She tells me excitedly that coke is her “nemba one” need.
Uzaanyi? What did you go with?
Mama Uzaanyi alone is here with more than 40 of her children, their wives and grandchildren;
1. Hilaseen 7 children
2. Mnena 5 children
3. Cacilia 3 children
4. Ihyen 7 children
5. Kuher 3 children and
6. Sati 2 children
7. Mary 1 child
Daudu’s Wife Number 2:
· Mama Nagbaan daughter of Gyagba married to Dauda Tse. She had only two children, all dead. She looks quite younger. “it is because I never gave birth to many children”, she explains.
Even with the other large family around her, she feels lonely as all her grandchildren are elsewhere.
Pregnant Women on Camp
· TORKWASE ACHIVE:
She
argues with Jacob she is 21 years but a mother of 3 already. She is 8
months pregnant and hasn't gone for ante-natal since getting here.
She pauses to cough as she talks to me. She complains of body pains, swollen legs, swollen hands, painful waist and dry throat.
· MARY DAUDU
She
is a native of Ogoja and married to the Daudus just like her elder
sister. At 22, she is a mother of 1. Mary is 7 months pregnant and tells
me she started attending ante-natal before the crisis.
As
I try to ask Mary of the symptoms she is experiencing, the strong
stinKiNG stench from the toilet heavily blows my way, it’s a unbearable,
but I have to report.
Mary’s
symptoms: swollen legs and waist pain. Her elder sister Cecilia also
married to the Daudus, tells her something in their language, she then
tells me she asked her to tell me that her first child never sucked her
breasts, “so maybe I have a problem”…
· MNENA UME DAUDU:
Mnena
one of Mama’s daughters-in-law to be pregnant is 30 years, a mother of
5, her husband has returned to Daudu but comes around.
She
is 8 months pregnant, she says she has been to the hospital only twice
during this period, first in October last year and in February this
year. She suffers dehydration, “I can't stand upright, unless I bend”,
she tells me.
· SATI TERWASE DAUDU:
Another of Mama Uzaanyi’s daughters-in-law is 30 years, she has 2 children already and she is 7 months pregnant.
Never been to the clinic for ante-natal, but previously during the other pregnancies, she had been. Why not this time? I ask, “my husband and I travelled to a remote Yoruba forest and I couldn't access any hospital there”.
She says they have been back from their journey since December last year, “but my husband never agreed to take me to hospital”.
Sati is having symptoms of whooping cough which she says started since early March
Population Analysis:
The St. Mary’s Primary School Camp North Bank Makurdi has a total of;
-582 children, 299 male 283 female
-Women 109, out of this, 25 are Pregnant, 49 are breastfeeding mums and 35 others.
-There are 20 young married men, 17 old people and 17 disabled persons and 105 others.
KiNG JAMES YiYE
Radio & Online Journalist
Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Executive Director
ASKiNG Media Limited
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