Snakes kill over 200 people in Bauchi council, as government takes no action The snakes were brought by the flood in the area last year. The devastating flood that ravaged most communities situated along the banks of River Benue in October 2012, when Cameroonian authorities released excess water from Lagdo Dam not only washed away houses and farmlands in Duguri district of Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, but also brought with it some species of dangerous snakes which to date have killed more than 200 people in the district. Duguri district is 136 kilometres away from Bauchi, the state capital, and is also 120 Km away from Alkaleri, the Local Government Headquarters. Duguri is the district headquarters and is surrounded by villages such as Geji, Yuli, Shafa, Gamu, Dogon-Ruwa, Bogos, Rimi, Kukuri, Keffi, Talan, Geji-Gamu, Kunzum, Yalam, Sabonlayi, Kungimbar, Gyel, Anguwar-Gebi, Bunn, Sabon Gari, Yumi, Bayek, and Gobir. According to the district head of Duguri, Adamu Mohammed, ‘’we have lost over two hundred people in this district since the floods of last year to date”. In nearby Shafa Village, PREMIUM TIMES spoke with the village head, Adamu Abdullahi on Thursday to get an update on the snake invasion. “Even yesterday, someone was bitten by a snake while working on his farm, and he died on the way to the hospital. In fact I also lost my daughter, Sadiqa, after she was bitten by a puff adder (an African viper specie) while sleeping in her room. She died in less than fifteen minutes after she was bitten. She was 14-years- old,” he said. Abubakar Umar, a resident of Duguri, told PREMIUM TIMES that the snakes have killed and continue to kill residents of the affected villages. He added that the villagers have also intensified in their efforts to “haunt the snakes and kill them”. He said they decided to confront the reptiles after realising that government help is not forth coming. “The incident of snake bites has reduced a little, because we have intensified in killing them. The Cobra specie is the one that has been killing our people since last year, he said” adding that, “I can confidently tell you that over three hundred and sixty persons died from snake bites in Duguri and surrounding villages from last year to date. That is not forgetting those who lost their limps, – Hands and legs. Most of them were amputated at the General Hospital in Bauchi,” he said. The Galadima of Duguri, Mallam Yusuf, also re- echoed what Mr. Umar said. He said over two hundred persons in Duguri alone lost either a hand or part of their leg. The story is the same in all the villages in the district. According to the district head of Shafa. “Since this disaster befell us, there is no family that has not lost a loved one to these snakes, and I am talking of about ten villages populated with over fourteen thousand people,” he said. Treatment According to the district head of Shafa, whoever is bitten by the snakes and is lucky to survive for over 15 minutes is taken to the General Hospital in Kaltungo, Gombe state. The Hospital, he said, has a ward dedicated to the treatment of venomous snake bites. “We take anyone bitten to Kaltungo for treatment, it is a journey of over two hundred kilometres and the road is very bad from here,” he said. He also said it cost N20, 000 to chatter a vehicle to transport each person from Shafa to Kaltungo. “Whoever is lucky to make it to Kaltungo, they get treated in only two days and then return home,” he said. Speaking in the same vein, Mr. Umar from Duguri said they also pay N13, 000 to transport each person bitten by the snakes to Kaltungo. “Snake bite patients are taken to Kaltungo for treatment, and we pay N13, 000 to transport each person. We also pay additional thirteen thousand for a dose of anti-snake venom if the ones provided by the government are out of stock,” he said. Economic impact Both the district head of Shafa, Mr. Mohammed and the Galadima of Duguri, Mr. Yusuf, told PREMIUM TIMES that the residents of the district are predominantly peasant farmers, and the snakes’ invasion has made it almost impossible for them to cultivate their farms. According to Mr. Mohammed, “The issue of snake bite is so rampant here and has stopped our people from farming, and that is the only vocation we are engaged in”. Mr. Yusuf also said “apart from the inability of our people to go to farm, we have also lost a lot of our cattle and other domestic animals to these snake bites”. -PREMIUM TIMES
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 16:27:53 +0000
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