How we treated survivors of Boys’ Brigade Easter tragedy in Gombe – Dr. Muazu   

The Chief Medical Director of the Gombe State Specialist Hospital, Dr. Muazu Shuaibu Ishaq says all the twelve Boys Brigade (BB) members that sustained severe injuries and were admitted to the hospital after the Easter tragedy that claimed the lives of nine persons have been discharged after they were well attended to and treated free of charge by the Gombe State Government.

Dr. Muazu told our Correspondent in an interview that the boys were also given free crutches and wheelchairs for those that would need them to fully recover back to their feet. Two wheelchairs given out are however properties of the hospital which will be returned to the hospital.

He said only one Margaret Luka, who was also in the Easter procession and who sustained injuries, is still in the hospital and billed for surgery in the next one week.

According to Dr. Muazu, a consultant family physician, the Gombe State Government provided all that the hospital needed to take care of the injured boys. He also thanked the Health Committee of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Gombe State chapter, for providing moral support to the hospital.

He explained that, “so far, we only have one patient on admission. Initially, we had ten but when others that were taken to other facilities heard that Government was coming in with support, there was an influx and it reached twelve. On the day of the incident, 42 persons were rushed to this hospital, we admitted ten, and six were treated and discharged while another six were referred to other facilities”.

He said “we recorded eight deaths that same day. Two days after the incident, the State Commissioner for Health Dr. Ishaya Kennedy visited and gave those still receiving treatment undisclosed financial assistance”.

Speaking on Margaret Luka who is still on admission, Dr. Shuaibu said, “she is still on admission because she was supposed to have a surgery, so the surgeon realized that she has an infection and so the infection has to be treated before the surgery will be carried out. So, more than 99 percent were treated and discharged.

“I will say good progress has been recorded. We did very well and I will say that they will have a very good health. The only thing I will like to add is that even after the physical wound is healed, they need counseling both physical and spiritual. We need to orient them. They need more information but they all have excellent chances of recovery as far as the injury is concerned”, he assured.

“Some of them may feel I am finished already or I cannot recover, so that is why we need to talk to them, to give them confidence, motivate them, sit with them know what the injuries mean to them and know their fears. So, when they come for their follow-up, we will engage them on all these”, Dr. Muazu assured.

It will be recalled that residents of Gombe woke up on Easter Monday to the bad news of the death of nine members of Boys Brigade (BB) the previous day in Gombe who were on a Sunday Easter rally when an alleged NSCDC officer together with his friend deliberately rammed into the peaceful procession with their car.

The procession had many youths from different denominations made up of ECWA Church Bamusa, ECWA Church Madaki, ECWA Church Barunde, St. Peter’s Anglican Church Bolari, EYN Church Alheri Junction, ECWA II Herwagana among many others.