Twenty survivors of the August 16 attack on Mbaterem community in Ukum Local Government Area have received medical and financial support from the American humanitarian organization, Equipping The Persecuted (ETP).
The intervention, approved by ETP Founder and Executive Director Judd Saul, was carried out by an ETP team led by Mike Odeh James across three medical facilities in Zaki-Biam and Kyado. The support included settlement of hospital bills, cash assistance for the critically injured, and burial support for a family that lost a loved one.
At St. Anthony’s Hospital, Zaki-Biam, the team cleared the bills of eight victims on admission.
Among them were two survivors who each lost a hand during the attack, and a young woman who is recovering from injuries after her father and younger brother were killed in the assault.
ETP also provided additional cash support to the most severely wounded to cover ongoing treatment. The team further assisted the son of the late James Utsev to purchase a coffin for his father.
From Zaki-Biam, the team traveled 28 kilometers into the forested Kyado area to Tyav Medicare Services, where it paid the bills of 10 more victims.
Two of the survivors at Tyav had both hands amputated and now face permanent disability. The team also met a young girl who had been discharged but was unable to leave the facility because her family could not afford to pay her bill. ETP settled the bill and secured her release.
The intervention concluded at Erdoo Clinic in Kyado, where the bills of the last two beneficiaries — an 80-year-old woman and her 32-year-old son — were paid.
In total, 20 victims were directly assisted.
Beyond the hospital debts, many of the survivors are grappling with life-changing injuries, loss of family members, and loss of livelihood.
Speaking on the intervention, ETP’s Media and Public Relations Officer, Franc Utoo, said the organization will not abandon victims after they survive attacks.
“Judd Saul has ordered that all victims of terror attacks in Zaki-Biam, Otukpo Nobi, Akpachi and Efeyi be attended to,” Utoo said.
Utoo also called on the Benue State government to prioritize the return of internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes, saying resettlement should take precedence over ranching debates.
For many in rural Benue, surviving an attack is only the first hurdle. The second is raising money for treatment, rehabilitation and burial.
For the 20 survivors from Mbaterem, that second burden has now been lifted.