Foundation Warns of Severe Trauma Among 50 Widows in Plateau IDP Camp

The Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation (CALMHAF) has raised concerns over what it described as the severe psychological and humanitarian condition of 50 widows displaced by recent attacks in Mushere-Bokkos communities in Plateau State.

The women are currently taking shelter at the COCIN Central Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Bokkos Local Government Area following violent incidents that also affected neighbouring communities including Mwor, Kadinbisha and Hok.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Enugu, the Foundation said its team carried out a mental health outreach at the camp on 8 May 2026, during which it documented widespread trauma, grief and difficult living conditions among survivors.

The Plateau State Programmes Manager of CALMHAF, Amos Zingven Selkap, who led the visit, said many of the widows had lost husbands, children and other relatives in the attacks allegedly carried out by armed herders.

He cited a particular case in which a survivor, Mrs Paulina Jerry, reportedly lost six family members in an incident in May 2025.

According to him, many of the women showed signs of acute psychological distress, including persistent grief, emotional breakdown and symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Selkap said all 50 documented widows had been displaced, losing homes, farmland and livelihoods, and called for urgent psychosocial and economic support.

He recommended weekly counselling sessions, psychological first aid training for camp volunteers, and structured mental health screening with referrals to specialists in Jos.

He also called for livelihood support programmes, including skills training, starter kits, and access to small-scale credit schemes, as well as coordinated intervention from government agencies such as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

Selkap urged governments, humanitarian organisations and faith-based groups to intensify support, warning that the widows risk long-term mental health challenges without immediate intervention.

“These women have lost everything. They urgently need structured support to regain dignity and rebuild their lives,” he said.

A co-founder of CALMHAF, Uzoamaka Nwachukwu, commended the Foundation’s Plateau team and pledged continued support for survivors.

One of the widows, who gave her name as Rhoda, called for stronger government action to restore security, saying their communities remained unsafe for return.

CALMHAF said it continues to provide psychosocial support to survivors of violence, conflict and disaster across Nigeria.