Benue IDP father seeks help after wife dies giving birth

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

A 26-year-old Internally Displaced Person, IDP, Rochas Mende, from Tse Pen village in Nyiev Council Ward of Guma Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State, has appealed for help after his 23-year-old wife, Sember, died shortly after giving birth to twins.

Sember, who lived with her husband at the Ortese IDP camp, died on September 9, 2026, after delivering the babies in their village, where the couple had gone to farm.

Mende, while recounting his ordeal, said his wife went into labour in the evening and was assisted by a local birth attendant whom he referred to as a “doctor.”

“She delivered the first child around 7:45pm and the last baby came around 8pm. But after delivering the babies, she developed complications and started complaining of fever. Before I could bring her to a hospital, she died at about 10pm,” he said.

According to the grieving husband, the couple had returned to their village from the IDP camp to farm when his wife went into labour.

“I took her to the village from the IDP camp to go and farm, and on September 9 she went into labour,” he said.

Mende said his wife’s death was particularly painful because the twins were their first children.

“It is our first children,” he said.

The bereaved father said the newborns were now at the Ortese IDP camp under the care of his aged mother, who, despite being unwell herself, was struggling to look after them.

“As we speak, the babies are in the IDP camp with my aged mother, who is also not feeling very well, but she is managing to care for the babies,” he said.

Mende appealed to individuals, humanitarian organisations, government agencies and other well-meaning Nigerians to come to his assistance, saying he was struggling to cope with the loss of his wife and the responsibility of caring for the newborns.

“I am appealing to spirited individuals to please come to my aid. The pain of losing my wife and the burden of taking care of the children in the IDP camp is too much for my mother and me,” Mende pleaded.

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