A middle-aged man, Emmanuel Omohodo ,has narrated to a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, how his wife and day-old baby died due to negligence from suspected quack doctors.

The prosecution witness narrated this at the trial of alleged fake medical practitioners: Mr. Abdulkareem Shehu (a nurse) and Dr. Farajimakin Olugbenga.

The duo were arraigned by the state government before Justice Hakeem Oshodi over alleged murder of a day-old baby and his mother.In his evidence before the court, the victim’s husband, Omohodo alleged that the negligence of the defendants (Shehu and Farajimakin) led to the death of his wife and baby at Glorious Hospital Medical Clinic.

She died after a Cesarean Section (CS) was carried out on her.The embittered Omohodo, in an emotion-laden voice, told the court that his wife, who was pregnant in 2015, registered at Glorious Hospital for her antenatal caredue to its proximity to her shop.He said: “ She was attending antenatal at the hospital until one fateful Sunday, June 5, 2015 when she woke up and complained of blood stain. We unknowingly sought help from the suspected quack doctors at the hospital.

“On getting to the hospital, the nurse, who posed as a medical doctor, told me that my wife would die if she went into labour and advised that a cesarean section must be carried out to save the mother and child.”

He further told the court that he agreed that his wife should be operated upon by signing the necessary forms. He said he waited in the doctors’ office while his wife was taken to the theatre.

“After waiting for sometime, the baby was brought to me, and I was informed that he had respiratory problem. I was referred to Joe Memorial Hospital because they said the situation was beyond their power.

“It was in a phone call that the fake doctor owned up that his hospital lacked oxygen and that they had exhausted it. The doctor at Joe Memorial Hospital, after querying them on why they embarked on such an operation without a standby oxygen, also gave me a referral letter to take the baby to Standard Life Clinic.”

He continued that the baby died before he was admitted at Standard Life Clinic. He posited that, while he was on his way to bury the child, the quack doctors from Glorious Hospital, called him that his wife had died too.

“ I reported the matter to the police and Shehu confessed when they were arrested that he was not a doctor but a nurse.After listening to his testimony, the Presiding Judge, subsequently, adjourned for continuation of trial till February 28, 2018.

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