SAN FRANCISCO, August 16, (THEWILL) – The Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu on Wednesday disclosed that forty-two farmers from Aliero town in Aliero Local Government Area of Kebbi State have been slaughtered by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.
Speaking when he received World Health Organization, WHO, delegates at the Government House on courtesy visit, Bagudu disclosed that the victims went to carry out farming activities in Borno State before they met their untimely death, adding that all the farmers except one were killed last week.
“Just last week, I was informed by one of my commissioners that 42 farmers who are from Aliero were slaughtered by Boko Haram in Borno. They allowed one of them to come home to say what happened to them,” he said.
The governor further stated that over 7,000 displaced Nigerians who crossed over to the Republic of Niger were recently re-deported to Kebbi State thereby compounding the challenges faced by the state.
While acknowledging low immunisation of children against diseases in the state, he stated that the influx of children from Benin and Niger Republics including IDPs camps in the state posed threat to success of the exercise.
Bagudu noted that inability of his government to fully migrate 700 staff of Primary Health Care to local government councils posed threat to health delivery as only 50 of them have been fully integrated.
He told the team that his administration had set up committee to combat malaria and invited health outreaches from foreign countries to render free medical treatment and appealed to International agencies to increase their donations to underdeveloped countries.
Speaking earlier, the WHO representative in Nigeria, Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alenu informed the governor that they had discovered that there was low immunisation in the state and urged the Kebbi government to embark on routine immunisation of children against diseases.
Alenu, who commended the government for prompt releases of its counterpart funds noted that governments and international donors must work hard to eradicate polio in the country.
