Chibok girls: Medical consultants state health risks for captives

By Evelyn Okakwu.

The Medical Consultants Association of Nigeria, (MDCAN) has stated a number of health risks that the abducted Chibok girls stood to face, as a result of their stay in the forest.

A statement by MEDCAN’s president Dr Steven Oluwole said the health implications of their abduction and long captivity in the Boko Haram den could be; “Severe anxiety, intense fear, hyper vigilance, exaggerated startle response, restlessness, headaches, sleep impairment, nightmares, palpitation, elevation of blood pressure, muscle aches, gastrointestinal complaints, chest pain and several others.

“Long term effects include tension type headaches, migraines, hypertension, myocardial infarctions, asthma, peptic ulcers, skin lesions, diabetes mellitus, depression, arthritis, accelerated aging, memory failure, infections, poor sleep, and depression” the MD CAN President added.

He expressed concerns about the security situation in the nation’s Federal Capital, insisting that the Nyanya blasts is a clear indication of Boko Haram presence in the heart of Abuja.

According to him, “The sect is closing in on the Federal Capital to achieve its primary objective. A city that appeared fortified after the initial wave of attacks appears so vulnerable in the past few weeks. More threats have been issued by the sect. It is certainly foolhardy to ignore or assume it lacks the will or capability to make good its threats. In other words a devastating attack on Abuja could change the course of Nigerian history.

Dr Oluwole noted that, “ The Nigerian armed forces with the Army, Navy, and Air force can hardly be described as inadequate to handle a couple of hundreds or thousands members of this sect.

The notion that the military needs to recruit to defeat Boko Haram is diversionary. The armory of Nigeria military is published, so is that of Boko Haram, and they are not a match for each other.

“Well, the blames seems to go round, but who is really in charge? All perpetrators who connived to make the Boko Haram operation successful should be identified, but that will not rescue the girls” he added.

He expressed dismay over the inability of government to tackle the terror situation of the country, calling on all stake holders to rise to their obligations or face the law for negligence of duty.