By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
At least 13 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Chanchanji Ward of Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State have been confirmed dead following a suspected cholera outbreak in the area.
Hon. Aondoasee Shami, who spoke to Nigerian Tribune on the phone on Friday, said he lost three of his immediate family members to the outbreak.
“Just this morning, we buried two children, and more people are currently in critical condition,” he said.
According to him, symptoms of the disease were first noticed on Tuesday morning, and by midnight of the same day, four people had died.
“We did not realise until Thursday that it was cholera. So far, we have buried 13 people, while others are still in critical condition. We are calling on the Taraba State Government to act fast to arrest the situation,” Shami added.
Nigerian Tribune reports that the displaced persons in Chanchanji had in December 2025 appealed to Governor Agbu Kefas to intervene in the continuous killings and displacement in the area to enable them to return to their homes.
Some of the IDPs who spoke with Tribune during a visit to camps in Amadu said lack of access to clean water and food remained their primary challenge.
“The water here is bad. It is not healthy even for animals, but we have no option but to drink it,” they lamented.
Efforts to get a response from the Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Hon. Bordiya Buma, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to him were not returned as of the time of filing this report.
