The Medical Unit of the 28 Task Force Brigade Command of the Nigerian Army, Mubi, on Sunday said that it had treated over 3,000 people of various ailments in Mubi area of Adamawa State.
Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, the Commander of the Task Force, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Mubi that the gesture was part of activities marking the 2015 Nigerian Army Day celebration slated for every July 6.
Ezugwu said the medical outreach covered communities where soldiers were deployed to carry out counter insurgency operations.
He said: “Under the programme, we are targeting no less than 5,000 people.
“But so far, we have already attended to over 3,000 people, all in Mubi area.”
Ezugwu listed pregnant women, elderly people and children of five years and below as those that benefited from the gesture.
“Those we discovered their situation is serious, we referred them to Yola for further medical attention and treatment,” Ezugwu added.
He explained that the programme was designed to assist the communities ravaged by Boko Haram activities and therefore in need of medical attention.
According to the Commander, the exercise is also meant to win the minds and hearts of people in the areas.
He said the task force command would soon extend the gesture to other liberated areas.
The commander commended the efforts of the Saint Theresa Catholic Cathedral, Yola for assisting the command with drugs and other medical facilities to reach out further.
On the relationship between the command and the host communities, the commander described it as “cordial and wonderful”.
A beneficiary of the free treatment, Hajia Fatima Nuhu, 63, of Unguwar Sarki, Mubi town, lauded the Army for the gesture, which she said was a big relief to her and other beneficiaries.