The flood this year came with snakes whose bites have left residents of two communities jumpy. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports
The rains came with floods and the floods with strange snakes. The worst days of the floods are over in Plateau State and the people are happy that it was not as devastating as the previous ones. Still, the fear of snakes persist in the Angas communities of Kanke and Kanam councils of the state. In two weeks the venomous snakes have bitten 50 people, five of whom have died, many still being treated.
The residents said the reptiles came with the water and now seem to have found a home in their communities, but the reptiles are not merely settling down quietly; they are frequently sinking their teeth and venom in their hosts.
As flood waters receded, strange species of snakes found their way to bushes, farms and homes in the communities. The snakes, found to be highly poisonous, are attacking any living thing they see in the community including animals and humans.
They have attacked no fewer than 50 people at home and on the farms in both local governments.
Their representative in the National Assembly, Hon. Timothy Golu who raised the alarm over the snake invasion when he visited his constituency, said, “We have records of over 50 members of my constituency with cases of snakebite, we are battling to save their lives the best way we can.
The federal lawmaker said, “Out of the over 50 persons affected, five of them have died of the snake poison; many others are still in critical condition as I’m talking to you now, they are currently on admission in various hospitals. Some were taken to traditional medicine homes within the locality, 13 of them are currently receiving treatment at Zamko clinic in Langtang, 20 in native doctors home, while some visited the centers for daily treatment owing to lack of bed space the hospital.
Among victims of the snake invasion, Hon Golu said, “Some were lucky to survive it, they have been treated and discharged. I discovered that the severity of the effect of the venom of the snake differs in individual victims, some have strong antibodies that resist the power of the snake poison, in some other individuals, the poison can kill them within an hour after bite. There is the case of one woman from my village is a different one, she was bitten by the snake, she was taken to the hospital, treated and discharged. But it was later discovered that pus is gushing from the wound and we have to return her to the hospital for checks. The woman is limping with that leg because of the pains.
Members of the communities described the strange snakes as plague, they said the snakes move in pair, where one is sighted the other will be very close, they can be found on trees, in holes, in grasses, and any other available place that can contain them. The villagers described the snake to have black color like the black mamba and can be between two to five meters long.
Hon Golu is expressing fears that the snake is capable of wrecking havoc in his constituency unless there are concrete measures put in place by the state and federal governments. “I want the federal government to send immediate intervention to my constituency; with what I see on the ground, victims now depend on luck to survive these poisonous snakes. The federal government need to treat this case with the kind of attention given to the Ebola case. This snake can multiply and spread to other local governments, so something urgent should be done to contain them”
The lawmaker suggested that the federal should send in anti-snake venom drugs, we are also crying to the world Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF to come and help, the anti-venue drugs are beyond the reach of the common man. NEMA should also come in because many residence are fleeing the affected villages for fear of the snake. The immediate and urgent solution we need now is to fumigate the entire communities and the entire environment. If not so, people cannot go to farm, women cannot go to the bush to fetch firewood, residents cannot come out at night, most people are indoors, they have been made prisoners in their own homes”
But beyond the strange snakes allegedly brought into the communities by flood, there is something attractive to poisonous snakes in Kanke local government. The people have been battling with issues of poisonous snakes for several decades. The snakes of Kanke local government have their season to operate, and when it is their season, the snakes go out to look for whoever to bite, and once they bite, your chance of survival is very slim. The people and government of the area have been advocating for the establishment of special hospital for the treatment of snake bite.
Hon Golu said, “Yes, my local government Kanke has been experiencing incidences of snakebite for a very long time. But what we are experiencing this time is different. We have been crying to government to do something about the peculiar situation in Kanke, I tried my best when I was a state law maker from that constituency, but nothing was done. But now the situation is getting worse because a strange species of dangerous snakes have invaded the area, they were transported here by flood, I don’t why they decided to remain here, now they people cannot sleep, me need help fast.”
Hon Golu has advised his people to use rain boots and hand gloves if they must go to farms or go out at night as the only preventive measure against the rampaging snakes.
