For more than eight years, 32-year-old David Felix, an indigene of Ebonyi State, has been living in Kampani, a community in Niger State inhabited mainly by leprosy victims. Since he was brought into the community for treatment close to a decade ago, he has not had a visit from any of his family members. Neither has he returned to his community or state since he was brought in for treatment.
Felix was taken to Kampani with a leprosy case he had been battling with herbs in the hope of overcoming it.
“It would only subside for about two weeks and return with more pains and discomfort,” he said regretfully.
“Someone told my family about this place and they brought me from Ebonyi. When we came, my family did not want me to stay because of the way the clinic was, but I insisted on staying because the people here assured me that I would get well.
“But since they left me, I have not seen my people. Neither have I gone back to Ebonyi. When we go outside to do one or two things, the way people look at us and try to avoid us makes me to fear that even my family members may not accept me if I return home.
“But I do not know why they have not come to visit me. I am happy here. I feel like I am home. Whatever I need is provided.”
Apart from spots that looked like dried boils on his face and neck, no one would be able to tell that Felix was once infected with leprosy. His legs and hands were in good shape and he walked well with good posture.
He feels comfortable with the people he has been living with within the community of leprosy victims. He said he had been wholly accepted by the other inhabitants unlike the outside world where he was being stigmatised.
Now a proud owner of a kiosk where he sells household items, he told the reporter that he was ready for the next phase of his life.
Persons afflicted by leprosy could be classified as the poorest of the poor because even in the gathering of people with other forms of disability, persons with leprosy are discriminated against.
Historically, leprosy was believed to be extremely contagious and divinely ordained, leading to huge stigma its sufferers experience. But the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) stated that leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is hard to catch as 95 per cent of adults cannot catch it because their immune system can fight off the bacteria that cause the disease.
Leprosy is caused by a bacterium that spreads slowly around the body. Infection occurs with the breathing in of droplets and long-term contact with a victim. Leprosy causes irreversible damage to the hands, feet and eyes if left untreated for long and can lead to paralysis, blindness and amputations.
Kampani leprosy community
Like in the times of the Old Testament in the Bible when everyone living with leprosy was sent outside the camp of the Israelites or to the end of the town, the community of people living with leprosy is located on the outskirts of Minna, the capital city.
Sited at the back of the IBB Specialist Hospital, the leprosarium is about five minutes drive from the junction of the hospital, which leaves a first-time visitor filled with doubts as to whether people live in the place. The road leading to the leprosarium has been repaired by the state government, unlike some years back when the road was not motorable.
The community, situated at the back of the leprosarium, was built by The Leprosy Mission after noticing the stigmatization normally suffered by everyone who had concluded treatment. To this end, the mission built schools for the children of the people and provided social amenities like electricity, water and housing to make them live comfortably.
Going around the community, it was observed that the residents had taken to farming to produce their food and several of them were seen involved in one activity or the other. A woman was seen frying masa (rice pancake) with people surrounding her to purchase some. Some kiosks were seen where people could buy simple commodities for household use.
Female victim finds love with healthy partner
But it is not all gloom in the community. The reporter stumbled on the love story between one of the female residents who fell in love with a non-victim and both of them had been living happily together.
Mary Azeh was 10 years old when she was brought to the community by her parents who were both afflicted by leprosy which later led to their death. Mary had spent more than 25 years in the community and was now the leader of women living in the community.
Mary said she had always had fears over the thought of settling down and having a family. But each time she went into a relationship, it would break up once the man discovered that she was infected and told about the situation of her parents who had the disease and died from it.
Mary had given up on love when she met her husband at a church meeting, and despite her reluctance to go into a relationship with him, his persistence and understanding stance made her to change her mind.
She said: “As young people, we are faced with the challenge of who would love and accept us the way we are. The elderly ones are always telling us the younger ones that nobody will marry us because we live in a leprosarium.
“We are facing challenges with this problem.
“On my part, I had several offers for marriage before I eventually settled down, but many of those offers did not work out because once they came to know that I once lived with leprosy and my parents lived and died with leprosy, the relationship would be cut off and I would be left heartbroken.
“But my husband is not a leprosy patient. He has never had leprosy in his life. We met in the church which is outside the leprosarium during a meeting last October.
“After the meeting, he approached me, but I said no because of my previous experiences. I didn’t know how he would feel regarding my health condition and history.
“But when I told him, he insisted that he loved me and would still marry me. That was how we were able to get married. He agreed to stay here with me and since we got married, we have not had any problem.”
On his part, Felix was still looking for love as there were no girls of marriageable age within Kampani community and he is scared by the thought of any girl accepting him with his health history and stay in the community after marriage.
Residents seek permanent location
The residents of Kampani leprosy community have pleaded with the state government to provide suitable land as their permanent abode.
The head of the community, Mallam Bello Umar, said the residents had received several notices asking them to vacate the land, saying that it would go a long way to give them a sense of belonging if the government provides them with permanent accommodation.
Mary also lent her voice to this appeal, pointing out some leprosy communities in Abuja and other parts of Niger saying that a permanent land would give them the confidence to live confidently amongst themselves.
“This community is peaceful but the only challenge we are having is that this is not our land. It is government land and they have been asking us to leave.
“Our cry to the government, the way they did in other places where they gave the leprosy people their land, we want them to give us our own land.
“As we are here, a lot of us are scared of leaving here, especially as many of the children and youths were given born here.
