The Kwara State Police Command has arrested medical staff from the Government Cottage Hospital in Iloffa, Oke-Ero local government area, following the disappearance of a newborn’s umbilical cord and placenta.
The incident came to light when Mrs. Williams C.B.A. alerted authorities about the missing items after delivering her baby last Sunday.
An investigation was launched, resulting in the detention of five healthcare workers by the General Investigation Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Ilorin.
The issue was escalated to police headquarters in Ilorin when local efforts to resolve the matter failed. It was reported that elders from the Odo-Owa community had to intervene to prevent agitated youths from burning down the hospital, suspecting foul play.
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Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Police Command, confirmed the arrests and the ongoing investigation.
Mrs. Williams, an English teacher at Orofa High School in Odo-Owa, recounted her experience: “I got to the Cottage hospital some minutes past 1:00 pm on Sunday and told the particular nurse I met on duty that I was having contractions.
She was the one who attended to me after confirming that I was truly in labor.
“She took me into the labor room and asked me to wait because I still have more time. Not quite long after I came, when the doctor also came in.
At about some minutes to 5 pm, the doctor asked the nurse to usher me into the labor room again because he wanted to check how close the baby was.
“He then asked that a drip be fixed on me, and at about some minutes past 6:00 pm, the labor started and I delivered the baby around some minutes to 7 pm.
“Three women were present, two of them are nurses while one is a Ward attendant.
“In the course of the delivery, it was one Nurse Alabi that took the delivery and Nurse Adeloye and the Ward Attendant identified as Mrs. Toyin.
I don’t know her surname Those were the three people present.
“Lest I forget, there are two missing items inside the nylon; the Umbilical cord and the placenta.
“Also, while they were taking the delivery, a particular woman came and said that she was supposed to be on duty that day, that she took permission that she wanted to travel that she was just returning.
She was also there during the delivery which makes the number of those present to be four women in all. She was also later invited by the police.
“Later the doctor joined them. He was not fully involved. He was just coming and going. The delivery was not done in his presence.
“Nurse Alabi, who took the delivery was the one who took the Umbilical cord and the placenta and dropped them inside a nylon that has the inscription name of the hospital and then dropped the nylon inside a carton placed right beside the delivery couch.
“As soon as that was done, they cleaned the baby and myself up and Nurse Adeloye ushered me into the main ward. The baby was placed beside me and I wasn’t feeling too well.
“Not long after that, Mrs. Toyin brought in my belongings from the labor room which were two bags and placed them beside the bed.
“I didn’t ask her about the contents of the bags because I thought the nylon of the placenta and the Umbilical cord was included in one of my bags.
“Very early the following morning when I woke up I remembered the placenta, when I looked around I didn’t see any of the Nurses that attended to me , probably they have gone home.
“When I discovered that the placenta was missing, I called a particular woman, also a ward maid but not among those who took my delivery in the night shift.
“When I told her, she said ‘Haaa’ that we should go together to the labor room which we did. When we got there the nylon inside which the placenta was kept was no longer there, likewise the carton too.”
Mrs. Williams raised the alarm when the medical staff failed to produce the placenta and umbilical cord. “Some of their staff started telling me they’re sorry that there was a mistake.
The attendant said she had thrown the placenta inside a pit but they could not find it suggesting a dog might have eaten it.
“That was When I flared up with some members of my church who were also present that it’s not possible that they just have to present the placenta.”
Mrs. Williams’ father, Mr. Rufus Sanya, expressed his suspicion of foul play: “How could an umbilical cord and a placenta of a new baby be missing when we all know the implication?
“I urge the police to do a thorough investigation and unravel the mystery behind this disappearance.
That is only when justice would be said to have been served and we would be at peace with ourselves,” he said.
