The Kwara State Police Command has launched a discreet investigation into the puzzling disappearance of the umbilical cord and placenta of a newborn at Government Cottage Hospital, Iloffa, in the Oke-Ero Local Government Area
The incident involved Mrs. C. B. A. Williams, a class teacher at Orota Secondary School, Odo-Owa, who gave birth on Sunday night. As of this report, the hospital staff had yet to hand over the umbilical cord and placenta to her.
Five hospital staff members are currently detained by the General Investigation Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department in Ilorin. The suspects include Dr. Ajibola, a resident doctor, nurses Rukayat Adeloye, Aishat Awolusi, and Peace Alabi, as well as Toyin Adewumi, a ward attendant.
According to Punch, the investigation was prompted after attempts to resolve the matter within local government hierarchies failed. Tensions escalated, requiring intervention from community elders to prevent agitated youths from burning down the hospital on Tuesday.
Mrs. Williams reportedly delivered her baby around 7 pm on Sunday night after a prolonged labour.
Williams, while narrating her ordeal, said that she was rushed to the hospital while experiencing labour pains on Sunday afternoon and gave birth to a baby at about 7pm the same day.
“I was feeling some labour pains on Sunday and I got to the Cottage hospital, some minutes past 1pm on Sunday, and told the particular Nurse Adeloye I met on duty that I was having contractions. She was the one that attended to me after confirming that I was truly in labour.
“She took me into the labour room and asked me to wait because I still had more time. Not quite long after I came, the doctor also came in and instructed the nurse to usher me into the labour room.
“In the course of the delivery, it was one nurse Alabi who took the delivery, and nurse Adeloye and the Ward Attendant identified as Mrs Toyin were the three people present.
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She said that she delivered the baby and was in the hospital till the following morning before she was discharged and allowed to go to her home.
She, however, said that the hospital workers gave her a nylon containing her personal items but did not give her the placenta and the umbilical cord of the baby when they asked her to go home.
“Though they handed a black nylon bag to me I discovered that there are two missing items inside the nylon; those are the umbilical cord and the placenta,” she said.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Kwara State Police Command, Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, confirmed the incident, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
“The police are investigating the incident and five suspects have been arrested in connection with it, an investigation is still ongoing,” the PPRO said.
