•Female IDPs
For 27-year-old Aondona Dooshima, bringing forth a new life into the world was a familiar path; and she hoped her fifth pregnancy would be a walk in the park.
Sadly, Dooshima, a displaced mother of five from previous pregnancies, could not give birth as expected, as her baby reportedly died from complications on February 26, 2026, reports Weekend Trust.
Her husband, Shienge Aondona, 34, told our correspondent that they were displaced from Tse Nongu Tswarev in Gaambe Ushin Council ward of Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State and had stayed at the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp at Agabge for more than four years.
He said that most times, they had returned home but often fled back to the camp due to threats from armed invaders who took over their ancestral communities.
“After the last time we were chased out by the armed invaders, we ran to take shelter in the host community. But my wife was already pregnant then. The hardship that set in for my family due to lack of food affected her greatly. At two months into the pregnancy, she was frequently falling ill.
“We had no money to seek proper medical attention after our first hospital visit; even to get food was a problem. We sought local help but her condition continued to deteriorate until two weeks ago when she gave up the ghost. I can tell you that my wife died from a pregnancy-related ailment,” he said.
Aondona, who expressed worries about catering for the five children – three boys and twin girls – left behind by his wife – also said the late wife was yet to be buried due to lack of money.
The bereaved husband maintained that since fleeing their homes in 2022, his family had been living in Agagbe camp, alongside other displaced families struggling to rebuild their lives, adding that when severe abdominal pains began on his wife on February 26, help was far away, and money even farther.
“My wife died while I watched helplessly,” he said, soberly.
Barely 72 hours after the death of Dooshima, another pregnant IDP in Agabge camp, Sumali Blessing, 28, was also said to have died from pregnancy-related complications allegedly linked to inadequate medical care and poverty.
Blessing, according to her husband, Sumali Aondowase, left three children – all boys behind.
In a conversation with our correspondent, Aondowase regretted his wife’s death, which he blamed on his lack of financial capacity.
“If I had money to seek medical attention, maybe my wife wouldn’t have died. She gave birth to a baby girl, who died immediately, and within a few hours, she also died.
“We have been living in Agabge IDP camp since 2022 after the invasion of our communities by armed herders,” he lamented.
Like Dooshima and Blessing, displaced women across different areas in Benue State have continued to witness alleged inadequate access to health care, coupled with poverty and ignorance.
Our correspondent recalled a similar situation over a year ago when a 30-year-old IDP taking shelter at Agagbe camp lost her triplets to poor maternal care.
Kongo Mzamber was said to have been delivered of triplets, who couldn’t survive due to some complications despite last minute efforts by medical practitioners to save mother and children.
Mzamber, who hails from Tse Gbuku in Sengev Council ward of Gwer West Local Government Area, was displaced by armed invaders, who also killed many people, displaced others and destroyed valuable properties in her now deserted village.
Residents at the Agabge camp who corroborated the deceased women’s husbands’ stories, told our correspondent that Dooshima died on February 26, 2026, while Blessing passed on Sunday March 1, 2026.
One of them who preferred only his first name on print, Dominic, said that when Dooshima experienced severe abdominal pains but could not access prompt medical attention due to lack of funds, her husband later moved her to a clinic in Agagbe when her condition worsened; unfortunately, she died shortly after arrival.
She further disclosed that while the camp community was still mourning Dooshima, another pregnant woman, Sumali Blessing, an indigene of Tse Ameen in Mbapa Council ward of Gwer Local Government, also died. She attributed her death to financial hardship, which prevented the husband from providing adequate nutrition and timely medical care.
“She was later taken to the primary health care centre in Abani on Sunday, but it was too late. She died shortly after giving birth and her body was deposited at the Agagbe morgue,” the resident said, noting that both families had been taking refuge in the Agagbe camp since 2022 and appealed to the state government, well-meaning individuals and non-governmental organisations to urgently intervene and improve health care support for displaced persons.
When contacted, the information officer of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Terna Ager, however, clarified that the deceased women were not resident in the camp but were living within the host community in Agagbe.
Maternal mortality high in Benue – Stakeholders
Our correspondent reports that a June 2025 report from Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited placed Benue State as having the fifth highest deaths from insecurity, with roughly 1,098 fatalities. Other reports have indicated Benue as being among the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, reaching 1,189 per 100,000 births.
Dr Fanan Abigail Gire, the Benue State coordinator of the Nigeria Network of Religious Leaders Living with/affected by HIV (NINERELA+), maintained that maternal and child health in Benue IDP camps remained critical, with high mortality rates out of the available statistics of 512 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, 53 under-five deaths per 1,000 live births.
Gire placed the key challenges on limited health care access, poor infrastructure, unskilled birth attendants and malnutrition affecting vulnerable populations, noting the painful part as most women not really prepared for pregnancy and childbirth psychologically, but some men just take advantage of their vulnerability.
“The NINERELA+ Benue State chapter, in 2022 embarked on campaign on Universal Access to Maternal and Child Health among Religious Women Leaders in Benue and it was so fruitful that so many success stories of increased access were recorded. The NINERELA+ has religious leaders working in communities. I can point out a case where the Jamatu Nasil Islam woman leader, Hajiya Hawa, took a woman through anti-natal to delivery of triplets in the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi and countless intervention by other faith-based centres in various facilities, as well as food and non food items donated at various IDP camps,” she said.
Recently, the acting director, Planning Research and Statistics (DPRS) at the state Ministry of Health and Human Services, Akawe Shadrach, disclosed that the mortality rate for under-five was as high as 52.5 per cent – 37.3 per cent for infants and 21.5 per cent maternal mortality.
He said Benue was among some of the states with the highest figure of mortality rates in the country, stressing that the latest State Health Profile (2024) and the 2025 Annual Operational Plan (AOP), Benue’s health indicators remain a major concern.
“For maternal mortality rate, we have about 21.5 per cent. That transits to 1,189 women per every 100,000 dying of maternal-related deaths. For infant mortality rate for Benue, we have about 37.3 per cent, which places us 9th among the 36 states in the federation. Likewise, for the under-five deaths, we have about 52.2 per cent, which also places us as the ninth state with the highest infant mortality rate in the 36 states, including Abuja,” he told journalists on the sidelines of a three-day step down training for planning cells in Otukpo.
No woman should die from pregnancy complications – Experts
Medical experts, however, think the deaths of the women could have been avoided if they had the right information at their disposal.
A psychosocial therapist at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Makurdi, Ukeh George, said his thoughts and prayers were with the bereaved families. He stressed that although he did not have the job schedule to speak on behalf of the hospital, he, however, knew that the facility operated two programmes designed to assist indigents.
George explained that the barriers to access health care for IDPs appeared to be compounded by camps that are remotely away from health and medical centres with readily available facilities to manage complicated emergencies, making it generally difficult for low income families to access health care services.
The Head of Clinical Services at the Federal Medical Centre in Makurdi, Dr Uche Augustine, however, confirmed to our correspondent that the hospital offers two related humanitarian programmes. He noted that no expectant mother should die from pregnancy related complications if they access right information and medical attention on time.
He listed the programmes designed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to include Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics Newborn Care (CEmONC) designed to respond specifically to the incident examples.
He said there’s also the NEMSAS designed to respond to accident and emergency, including free ambulance services, emphasising that state governments are expected to key into the national safety nets.
Dr Augustine added that the Federal Medical Centre had efficient effective social welfare services for vulnerable patients population aimed at addressing admission and discharge problems, noting that the national emergency medical programmes kicked off with addressing trauma for patients and a widened scope to accommodate even snakebite victims.
He maintained that location of patients, including the IDPs, was never a problem if they could draw the attention of the programmes or its ambulance to access free medical care, as far as they are confirmed to be indigents.
*This report was supported by Humangle Strengthening Community Journalism and Human Rights Advocacy in Northern Nigeria (SCOJA) fellowship.
