By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Tuesday said appropriate sanctions will be meted out to FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS) Health Maintenance Organisation (HMOs), failing to promptly remit payments to Healthcare providers.

The FHIS is a social Health Insurance Programme, offering financial protection through access to quality, affordable and equitable healthcare to all FCT residents.

Free enrolment is open to staff of the FCTA and Area Councils as well as vulnerable persons, including pregnant women, while other members of the public can enroll upon payment of N22,500 as premium per annum.

In a bid to improve the quality of healthcare services provided to the FHIS enrollees, about N4 billion, being outstanding/backlog payments for capitation and fee for service for years 2022 to 2024, was approved by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and paid between last year and this year.

This was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka said the Benefit Package of the FHIS includes the Basic Minimum Package of Health Care services (BMPHS) ranging from promotive, preventive, curative and some rehabilitative care services.

The services include primary preventive care, screening, primary emergency services, and secondary level care such as dental, mental, eye, ear, nose and throat care, physiotherapy, surgeries, laboratory investigations, radiological investigations such as ultrasound scan, x-rays.

However, complaints have been received from some Healthcare providers concerning non-remittance of their payments by some HMOs, under the excuse that bank details of the hospitals were not available, an excuse not acceptable to the government.

Therefore, compliance of the HMOs to the prompt remittance of payments to Healthcare providers, as well as commitment of the Healthcare providers to the discharge of their duties to the FHIS enrollees will be monitored with a view to sanctioning defaulters appropriately.

On implementation of the FHIS in the last one year, there have been payment of all outstanding capitations and fee for service backdated to year 2022 by the end of 2024, improved timeliness in the payment of capitation to HMOs, review and increment of the capitation to Healthcare providers for improved service delivery to enrollees, free enrolment of vulnerable persons especially pregnant women and under-five, poor and indigents, who have started enjoying healthcare services, and accreditation visits to 100 Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities to expand the number of PHC facilities in FCT and improve access to healthcare services in the communities.

Also, all pregnant women who enrolled through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) Primary Health Care (PHC) Centres across the six Area Councils in the FCT will continue to enjoy free health education, medical consultation and treatment, routine antenatal drugs, laboratory investigations and delivery.

Referral for secondary care including caesarean section, blood transfusion, and treatment of other obstetric complications such as eclampsia, at all the 14 General Hospitals in the FCT is also provided at no cost to the patient through the BHCPF.

The Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) has neutralized several high-value Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders and fighters in a decisive air interdiction in the Lake Chad region.

Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the Director, Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), made this known in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

Ejodame stated that the mission, carried out on Sunday, targeted Arina Woje, a notorious ISWAP enclave in the Southern Tumbuns of Borno, known as a sanctuary for insurgent leaders.

He said the strike followed a series of credible Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) sorties that confirmed the return of terrorist elements to the area after recent inter-factional clashes.

According to him, ISR data revealed significant terrorist activities, including the movement of foot soldiers, reactivation of structures and the concealment of possible command centres and logistics depots beneath dense foliage.

He added that “acting on credible intelligence, NAF air assets were dispatched to undertake focused strike mission. Aircrew on arrival, acquired and prosecuted pre-selected targets using precision-guided munitions, achieving devastating effects.

“Preliminary battle damage assessment reveals the destruction of several structures housing key ISWAP leaders, fighters, and logistics storage facilities, effectively disrupting the group’s operational planning and resupply efforts in the region.”

The NAF spokesman said the operation reflected NAF’s continued resolve to dislodge terrorist elements, deny them freedom of movement, and support ground forces in restoring peace and stability across Nigeria.

He added that the operations also reinforced the value of intelligence-driven air power missions in modern counter-terrorism operations. 

The Police Command in Kogi said it has recovered the body of Ayo Aiyepeku, a photo-journalist, allegedly murdered by his colleague, Oluwapelumi Adebayo.

The command’s spokesperson, Williams Ovye-Aya, disclosed this on Monday day in Lokoja.

Ovye-Aya explained that Ayobami’s corpse was found on Sunday evening at a location around WAEC office, Crusher Zone 8 axis in Lokoja.

The command’s spokesperson said Aiyepeku was gruesomely murdered by his colleague, Oluwapelumi Adebayo on Tuesday night, July 22 in an office near the Government House/GRA area of Lokoja.

“Yes, the corpse of the photo-journalist has been found. It was discovered on Sunday evening somewhere around WAEC office, Zone 8 axis of Lokoja.

“The corpse has been deposited at Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja.

“The discreet investigation will help us uncover what truly happened,” Ovye-Aya said.

He appealed to the victim’s family, colleagues and the public to provide credible information to aid the investigation.

Meanwhile, the deceased’s family has made a passionate appeal to police authorities and the Kogi government for justice.

Timothy Aiyepeku, the deceased’s elder brother, and his uncle, Dr Ibikunle Jide, appealed for justice.

They pleaded with Gov. Ahmed Ododo and security agencies to help unravel the mystery behind Ayobami’s gruesome murder, and punish the perpetrators.

“Now that the body has been found, we once again appeal to the Federal and Kogi governments and police authorities to uncover the mystery behind the killing.

“We commend the Police for their effort so far, and the media for ensuring the incident receives wide coverage and public attention,” they added.

Aiyepeku’s assailant had after killing him, loaded his corpse into a deep freezer and disposed of it off.

Ayobami’s body was found by residents of the area who raised an alarm.

Residents were said to have been attracted to a nearby bush in the area by foul odour from the decomposing body of the late photographer.

On sighting his corpse, residents alerted the Chairman of Lokoja Local Government, Abdullahi Adamu, who immediately arrived at the spot in company of some security agents to recover the body.