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Soldiers of the Nigeria Army Medical corp have taken medical care to liberated villages where residents especially those that have been displaced from remote communities are currently being camped.
The team of military medics were this week in Konduga town, 35km away from Maiduguri, the borno state capital where over 1000 villagers, mostly IDPs were being treated for one ailment or the other.
Major General Lamidi Adeosun, who is the General Officer Commanding the 7 Division, Nigeria Army informed reporters in Konduga that the free medical treatment given to the locals was in tune with the directives of the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai.
"We have changed the plan for everybody coming into Maiduguri because Maiduguri is fully choked. So in stead of every body in the state coming into Maiduguri, we said there are places and areas that are already liberated", said the GOC.
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| Villagers waiting to be attended by Nigeria Army médical personnel in Konduga |
"The army medical team will always be available for this kind of free medical service anywhere we are especially the communities that we have liberated so far",
"This is to show everybody that all the facilities that they think they can access in Maiduguri township can also be available anywhere within the liberated communities if they agree to settle there. This is also to encourage all the people that are in the Maiduguri IDP camp to start thinking of returning back to their liberated communities".
"Where there is our soldiers and there is security, we are encouraging people to return back to those general areas. So this is one of the reasons why this outreach, which has been directed by the Chief of Army Staff himself, is brought to this place, Konduga, to show that the same facility that they can access in Maiduguri will also be available in any where we are and it is also to encourage some of the IDPs that are in Maiduguri to go back to the liberated areas so that gradually they can start picking up the pieces of their lives again.
"If these liberated areas are not occupied, they continue to remain desolated and people will not be able to break away from this IDP status. So it is important we attend to their health needs, especially the people that are just coming out of the bushes. We have seen some of the children that are malnourished, they lacked medical attention and so on. So as the military, we are doing all we can to support them at the emergency level before the local and government councils will come in to take over fully.
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| Military medics sat work in Konduga |
"It is going to be a continuous exercise, and it is not going to be only in Konduga; it will go to other places; wherever IDPs are settled, we will go there to take care of their medical need. In terms of manpower, we are going to be roving from one liberated and safe place to the other, because of the number of medical manpower at our disposal. Like I said, it is an emergency situation, we take the lead and the state and local government coming in later to take over and continue from where we are.
"The essence of this exercise as we want even the media to let the world know is to show that the army is not only here to shoot guns but also to liberated people in the places that needs liberation and to ensure that normal life returns".
The Head of the 7 Division Army Hospital, Brigadier General, Ikechukwu Okeke, informed that so far over 800 persons, comprising men, women and children have been given one form of medical treatment or the other, between Wednesday and Thursday that the medical outreach started.
Brigadier General Okeke explained that most of the patients suffer ailments ranging from malaria, malnourishment amongst children, hypertension, worms and peptic ulcer diseases.
Villagers who continued to queue to be attended were full of praises for the Nigeria Army for bringing the outreach to them most especially as the insecurity had prevented the government doctors from being able to bring medical attention to them in the hinterlands.
Fanna Ali a mother four little children all under the age of eight years said all her children were suffering from one form of ailments or the other.
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| Head of Military Medical Team in 7 Div, Brig Gen. I Okeke exchanging pleasantries with Leaders of Konduga community |
The young women in her late 20s said she could not recall the actual ages of her malnourished children informed journalists that she has been under the captivity of Boko Haram in Usmanti village for months until the recently military operations in the area forced the terrorists to leave while she, her husband and her children eventually made it to Konduga two weeks ago.
"We came from Usmanti village", she said. "Boko Haram had all the while prevented us from leavening when we heard that other residents of various communities around us had left. We were cut off from everything including medical care and good food. We only depend on what was permitted or given to us by Boko Haram terrorists. It was just some weeks ago that the Boko Haram had to flee as the soldiers came. That was how we were lucky to escape too. I have four children for my husband…but I can't remember their actual birthday, because I have recently been finding it difficult remembering things like dates. Some of my children are alway running stomach, some always cry of body pains and even I still have back pains and I am here waiting to be given some medications.
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| Long queue of villagers waiting to be given Medical treatment in Konduga |
Zara Modu, a woman in her early 30s said she came from Kijelli, a remote village in Konduga local government area. She also has three children. She said "Boko Haram have been troubling us in Kijelli so we have to find a way to escape to Konduga through the help of the soldiers" She said one of her children has been ill so bad that he urinates blood.
Modu Musa, a 45 years old villager said he also made it to Konduga from Fadan village alongside other members of his community.
"We have suffered so much in the hands of Boko Haram who had forcefully kept us in Fadan village. Many attempts by most of our community people to escape to Maiduguri was met with terminal punishments like shooting to death or outright slitting of throats like that of animal. They have seized our herds of cows and goats. They dispossess us of our food and other valuables. We lived in fear until the soldiers finally came. The Boko Haram terrorist had forced many of our people especially the youth to joint them in whatever they are doing".
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