Buhari furious over death of

ANGERED by the reported cases of malnourished
children and dying Internally Displaced Persons,
IDPs, in government camps in Borno State,

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday met
with top officials of the state government,
seeking explanation into the issue.
The president sought explanations following the
recent statement and photographs released by
Doctors Without Borders- (Médecins Sans
Frontières), MSF, showing malnourished persons
in the camps.
This came as Minister of Health, Professor Isaac
Adewole directed that a team proceeded to
Borno State following report that eight children
were dying daily from malnutrition in the state.
Officials of the Borno State Emergency
Management Agency, SEMA, and the National
Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, on
Sunday left Maiduguri ahead of the meeting with
the president at the Aso Villa.
President Buhari was said to be angry at reports
that persons displaced by the Boko Haram,
currently seeking refuge at government-owned
camps, have been dying of malnutrition despite
the billions of naira and materials provided by
the federal, state governments, non-
governmental organisations and private
individuals to assist the displaced persons.
Last week, the MSF issued a statement, saying,
about 24,000 IDPs were in dire health situation
with at least 30 people, mostly children dying
every day.
Two weeks ago, the Borno State governor,
Kashim Shettima, paid a visit to Bama camp
upon receiving reports that hundreds of
malnourished persons recently rescued from
Boko Haram captivity were dying in a camp in
Bama, 75 kilometre from Maiduguri, the state
capital.
Shettima ordered the relocation of 61 heavily
underfed children to the intensive care unit of
the Umaru Shehu Ultramodern Hospital in
Maiduguri, where they are currently being
treated.
Another set of over 400 persons with lesser
cases of malnourishment were also moved out
of the camp to a special care unit for proper
feeding and medication.
But before the Governor’s visit to Bama, dozens
of the IDPs had died of hunger-induced ailments,
an official said.
Meanwhile, Professor Isaac Adewole directed an
emergency team to Borno State Borno State
following report that eight children were dying
daily from malnutrition in that state
Adewole gave the directive to the Director-
General of the National Centre for Disease
Control (NCDC) Dr Abdusalami Nasidi on the
inaugural meeting of the governing Board of the
ECOWAS Regional Centre for Disease Control
yesterday in Abuja.
Prof Adewole said “NCDC needs to as a matter
of urgency, dispatch a rapid emergency team to
Borno state. There is a nutritional emergency in
Borno State where it is been reported that eight
children stand the risk of dying every day if
nothing is done to arrest the situation. The
President, Gen Muhammad Buhari has given a
directive and so this is my first assignment to
you. There is need to dispatch an emergency
team to Borno State.”