Two pregnant internally displaced women have died within five days in Agagbe, Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.
Residents said Aondona Dooshima, 30, and Sumali Blessing, 28, passed away on February 26 and March 1, 2026, respectively.
A community member, Terna, who requested anonymity, blamed the deaths on poverty and limited access to medical care.
He explained that Dooshima, who had been displaced from Tse Nongu Tswarev in Gaambe Ushin Council Ward, began suffering severe abdominal pain on February 26. With no funds for adequate treatment, her family reportedly took her to a clinic in Agagbe when her condition worsened, but she later died there.
Terna said that while residents were still grieving Dooshima, Blessing, another pregnant displaced woman, also died. Blessing, said to be from Tse Ameen in Mbapa Council Ward, reportedly fell ill but was unable to secure proper medical attention due to financial hardship.
According to the source, her husband eventually took her to a primary healthcare centre in Abani on Sunday, but she died the following day. Her remains were deposited at the Agagbe morgue.
Both women and their families had fled to Agagbe after attacks in their home communities. Terna urged the state government, humanitarian groups and concerned individuals to provide urgent healthcare and welfare support for displaced persons in the area.
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Responding to inquiries, Tema Ager, Information Officer of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed that although the women were displaced, they were not living in an official camp but within the host community.
The incidents have once again drawn attention to the difficult conditions faced by displaced families in Benue, many of whom continue to struggle with inadequate healthcare, food shortages and other basic needs after years of violence forced them from their homes.
Agagbe is one of the 14 officially recognised Internally Displaced Persons camps in Benue State.
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