Ortom to Benue people: Defend yourselves against armed invaders

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, on Monday, urged residents of the state to defend themselves against armed invaders who stormed their communities to kill people.

Ortom, who made the remark while reacting to questions from journalists on his arrival in Makurdi from Oyo State where he attended the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors' meeting, said people need to rise up against unnecessary invasion of their homes by intruders suspected to be armed herders.

Hypertension: Using alternative medicine causes stroke, sudden deaths Ogun Commissioner

From Peter Moses, Abeokuta

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, yesterday, raised the alarm that the use of alternative medicine for the treatment of hypertension has caused stroke and sudden deaths.

The commissioner spoke in Abeokuta at a press briefing in commemoration of the world hypertension day.

Coker, who spoke on this year’s theme ‘Measure your blood pressure accurately, control it, live longer’, said it was to create awareness on the risk of high blood pressure.

She raised the alarm over the complication of alternative medicine, saying there has not been any data that indicates that hypertension has been cured.

Speaking on the focus of this year’s theme, Coker said it is informed by statistics which indicate that less than 40 percent of adults with hypertension in our society are aware of their status.

Describing hypertension as a silent killer and a major public health problem, Coker warned that high blood pressure should not be ignored so as to avoid complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, heart failure and problems with the sight.

“Addressing the alternative medicine, they are still managing hypertension and we have not got data from them to actually say that they are curing it or even controlling it.”