The U.S. Department of Diplomatic Security Service on Wednesday pledged medical assistance for casualties of insurgency in some parts of the North East.
Mr Anthony Gonzalez, the Nigeria Programme Manager, Department of State Office of the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Assistance, made the pledge in Abuja.
He said this when he led a delegation from the department, to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
He said the U.S. as an ally of Nigeria, was concerned about the gaps and challenges being faced by the country in addressing issues of mass casualties.
He said the U.S. was willing to assist the country in recovery, getting insurgency casualties to safety and providing medical assistance to displaced persons.
Gonzalez said the department was willing to improve on the disaster management plan provided by NEMA, to make it more effective in responding to incidences.
“Basically we will take what has happened in the past, and try to build on what is happening now by identifying the capabilities of NEMA, in responding to mass casualty situations.
He identified some areas of concern to include, the non-assistance of emergency plan in some states and local government areas of the country.
Earlier, NEMA’s Director-General Alhaji Mohammad Sani-Sidi described the visit of the U.S. delegation, as part of the ongoing engagement with the country to address insurgency problems in Nigeria.
“The visit is part of the engagement NEMA has been having with different U.S. agencies to enable it combat insurgency challenges in the country,’’ he said.
Sani-Sidi said NEMA had continued to live up to its responsibility of responding promptly to the needs of displaced persons as a result of the insurgency.