News
Yearly, 2.7m People Are Bitten By Snakes As WHO Warns Of Antivenom Shortages
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Yearly, as many as 2.7 million people are bitten by poisonous snakes, with up to an estimated 138,000 deaths.
One person dies from snake bite every four to six minutes,” David Williams, a World Health Organization snakebit expert, told reporters in Geneva.
Far more people — around 240,000 each year — are left with permanent disabilities, he said.
Snake venom can cause paralysis that stops breathing, bleeding disorders that can lead to fatal haemorrhage, irreversible kidney failure and tissue damage that can cause permanent disability and limb loss.
Most snake bite victims live in the world’s tropical and poorest regions, and children are worse affected due to their smaller body size.
Williams stressed that disabilities caused by snake bites can drive not only the victims but their entire family into poverty due in part to the high cost of treatment, but also loss of income when the family breadwinner is the victim.
A major problem, he warned, was that “some regions of the world simply don’t have enough safe and effective treatments available to them”.
Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, has access to just around 2.5 percent of the treatments it is estimated to need.
The UN health agency explained in 2019 that production of life-saving antivenoms had been abandoned by a number of companies since the 1980s, sparking a grave shortage in Africa and some Asian countries.
India is the worst affected country in the world, with around 58,000 people dying there due to snake bites every year, while its neighbours Bangladesh and Pakistan are also hard-hit, Williams said.
The impacts of climate change are meanwhile worsening the situation in some places, he said, pointing in particular to how flooding can often increase the number of snakebites.
He pointed to Nigeria, which is currently “going through a critical shortage of snake antivenom due to an influx of additional cases of snakebite that have been brought about by the flooding”.
“And this is a problem that occurs in many areas of the world where these sorts of disasters occur on a regular basis,” he said.
Major flooding events in Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, South Sudan and other countries had also been followed by a rise in snakebites.
WHO also warned that climate change risked shifting the distribution and abundance of venomous snakes, possibly exposing previously unaffected countries to the dangers.
AFP
News
Finally , Lagos Court frees Quadri, young Nigerian who stood before Obi’s convoy in viral photo
The Apapa Magistrate Court, Court 9 sitting at Orege, Ajegunle – Sikiru Adagun Courthouse, has discharged and acquitted Alabi Quadri, the young Nigerian who became a national symbol of courage during the 2023 general elections, for standing boldly in front of the convoy of then-Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
He was discharged and acquitted of conspiracy to commit felony and armed robbery.
The court held that he has no case to answer.
Quadri was brought to court on Thursday, April 17, 2025, after spending months in Kirikiri Prison, Lagos.
The Nigerian Correctional Service produced Quadri at the Apapa Magistrate Court, located at Orege, Ajegunle—Sikiru Adagun Courthouse (Court No. 9).
Quadri’s case was initially slated for a hearing on April 28, 2025.
However, human rights lawyer and activist Inibehe Effiong had revealed that both he and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) requested that the date be moved forward, and the court granted the application.
Quadri gained widespread attention after a viral video showed him, a teenage boy at the time, fearlessly standing before Peter Obi’s campaign convoy—a moment many Nigerians interpreted as a symbol of youthful defiance and hope during a tense election period.
The media reported that Effiong revealed that Alabi’s recent painful descent into the Nigerian prison system was not due to any major crime but rather a result of prolonged malice and resentment harboured by some self-acclaimed ‘area boys’ (thugs) in his neighbourhood.
According to the lawyer, these individuals felt entitled to a portion of the unexpected attention and goodwill, including financial support, that Alabi received following his moment in the spotlight during the 2023 presidential campaign.
Effiong, who recently visited the Apapa Magisterial Court in Lagos alongside Alabi’s mother and legal colleagues, stated that Alabi’s journey to Kirikiri prison was not only heartbreaking but appeared to be the outcome of a vendetta fuelled by local ‘area boys’ who felt entitled to the financial support Alabi received after his viral moment.
Effiong revealed that Alabi was abducted in January near his home while returning from work by the ‘area boys’ who had been threatening him.
They allegedly took him to Amukoko Police Station (popularly known as Pako Police Station) and accused him of being involved in street fights.
However, Alabi was then arraigned before a Magistrate Court along with four other individuals, said to be complete strangers to him, on allegations of conspiracy to commit armed robbery with cutlasses.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged victims were robbed of N579,000, comprising cash and four mobile phones.
Effiong also emphasised that despite being a minor, Alabi had been detained with adults at Kirikiri since January, pending legal advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s family residence in Kogi was reportedy invaded by gunmen around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16, leaving damaged windows but no injuries.
The incident happened at her hometown residence in Obeiba-Ihima, located in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Sources familiar with the event said the attackers arrived around 1:00 a.m. Armed with cutlasses and guns, they damaged parts of the building, smashing windows and causing panic in the area. At least three men were involved in the attack.
Senator Natasha’s Chief Security Officer, Yakubu Ovanja, quickly informed the appropriate security agencies.
In response, officers from the Okehi Police Division rushed to the scene.
Although nobody was hurt and no suspects have been arrested yet, security officials recorded the extent of the damage and launched a preliminary investigation.
The reason behind the attack is still unknown, and as of now, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has not released any official statement. She represents Kogi Central in the Senate and is known as a vocal figure in Nigerian politics.
According to Zagazola Makama, police are still trying to figure out what motivated the attackers and are working to find those responsible.
Finally , Lagos Court frees Quadri, young Nigerian who stood before Obi’s convoy in viral photo
Lawmaker Slams NBA Over Rivers Crisis, Demands Return of N300m
BREAKING: Unknown gunmen reportedly storm Senator Natasha’s family residence
Just in: Terrorists ambush military truck, kill all soldiers on board
Nigerian Dancer, Korra Obidi Attacked with acid, stabbed on stage In UK
Meet Rare Gem 16 Years Old Chiaza, CEO of ‘RUN MARKET PLACE’
-
News24 hours agoPDP governors declare support for Tinubu
-
News2 hours agoBREAKING: Unknown gunmen reportedly storm Senator Natasha’s family residence
-
News11 hours ago“How my father escaped assassination” – Bishop Oyedepo’s daughter
-
News24 hours agoN1.3trn CBEX Scam: EFCC caution Nigerians against Ponzi Schemes
-
News5 hours agoSnub story on removal of Rivers Sole Administrator, it’s FAKE-Chief Registrar
-
News11 hours agoFG expresses sympathy for CBEX victims, urges a united effort to combat Ponzi schemes
-
News24 hours agoSuswan kicks as PDP governors reject merger talks
-
News17 hours agoEl-Rufai labels Tinubu’s government ‘worst in Nigeria’s history’