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How doctor forgot scissors inside me, told me to shed weight after I complained — Nursing mother
In an exclusive interview, Ogochukwu said she developed swelling and complications due to particles left inside her when she underwent a C-section in May 2023, to deliver her baby.
Following the delivery, she noted that she began feeling severe pain in her abdomen with swollen legs.
When she complained, she noted that instead of taking it with seriousness, her doctor, Ejim Chibike, made a joke about her pains, saying she was getting fat and needed to exercise.
She stated, “On the 2nd of May 2023, I was at Faith Clinic at Ajao estate. I had been admitted there days before for a caesarean section. On that, I had my baby girl via CS and three days later, I was discharged. The doctor who did the CS and saw me through my antenatal was Dr Ejim Chibike. So, after the childbirth, I noticed that my legs had begun to swell up whereas they didn’t swell up during my pregnancy.
“But after I had the surgery, I noticed my legs were swelling up which I complained about and they said it was normal, I was discharged and I went home. I had a routine appointment with Dr Ejim, a week check-up after I had given birth. I came to the hospital and I complained to him that my stomach was painful to touch, and my legs and whole body were in serious pain.
“So, I complained to him that I didn’t know why I was still feeling like this even though that was my first CS, I’ve had two other pregnancies and my stomach should have gone down but the doctor made a joke about it that I should lose weight that I’m getting fat.”
Only a few days later, her condition took a drastic turn for the worse. She was rushed back to the hospital, where she was told that Chibike was unavailable. Instead, another doctor, Johnson, attended to her and ordered a series of scans and X-rays where the result showed retained products of conception in her womb.
With this, Ogochukwu said she underwent another surgery to remove the object, noting that despite undergoing a second surgery at the same hospital to remove the object, her condition worsened as the surgeon left some stitches unremoved, leaving her with another hopeless as the pain continued.
She said, “I then insisted on seeing Dr Chibike since he carried out the caesarean section after staying in the hospital for days and it got to a point that it was my husband making noise about the whole issue that we needed to see Dr Chibike. Later we noticed that he was practically avoiding us as they kept saying he was busy attending to other patients. Despite being in the hospital for five days, he didn’t come to see me.
“After my husband’s outburst, they came and told us that I needed to go to LASUTH to do a CT scan and we did and came back to the hospital. On getting back, they had gotten a general surgeon because they didn’t have one before. Just a look at me, he asked if I had gone through a CS and replied yes I did. He could not even touch me because I was in severe pain.
“I was then booked in for surgery the next day by 8 am. On the night before the surgery, they brought a bill of almost N1.4m which we paid and they carried out the surgery the next day. When I regained consciousness after the surgery, I noticed pipes connected to my body. When I asked what they were meant for, I was told that when they opened me up, the abscesses had gotten to some delicate parts of my body so they couldn’t reach there to get the abscesses out.
“Eventually, a few days after the surgery, the surgeon came and removed the pipes and I was discharged after asking us to pay a bill of about N800,000. We pleaded with them for a discount but they declined. My husband then paid the bills and I was discharged. Meanwhile, Dr Chibike practically disappeared. They asked me to come a few days later to remove the stitches.”
She added, “We were relieved that everything was over. So, I went back for that and the doctor was pulling the stitches painfully and I was shouting in pain all through the process. So, another doctor you heard my scream came in and saw what was going on. He said the doctor removing the stitches was not doing it well so he took over.
“Unfortunately, the new doctor didn’t remove all the stitches leaving a part of it in my abdomen. So days after, my stomach started swelling again and I was in pain. So, I called my aunty who advised me to rush to a hospital in Oshodi to do another scan for us to know what was wrong.
“Meanwhile, before this, I had started discharging abscesses. So, when I was getting ready to go to the hospital, we discovered a stitch from a hole in my under stomach which was from the initial surgery. The whole busted and the abscesses were just flowing out in large quantity from the whole. It was a mess. I had to use cotton wool to pad it up then we raced it to the hospital.”
In the span of just two months, she said she underwent three traumatic surgeries, each compounding her suffering, adding that doctors eventually informed her that her womb was severely damaged and she would never be able to have more children.
“I wanted to have three children, but now I can’t have any more,” she said, her voice heavy with grief.
As if the physical and emotional toll wasn’t enough, she said the financial strain became unbearable as the family spent over N3 million on medical bills, with no assistance or acknowledgement from Faith Clinic, where the nightmare began, adding that when they sought compensation from the hospital, they were offered a mere N150,000—a sum that felt like an insult to the pain and suffering they endured.
She is demanding full reimbursement of the medical costs and a formal apology from Faith Clinic, which has yet to respond to their demands.
“They caused all this pain and still refused to take responsibility. I want the money they extorted from us returned, and I want a sincere apology for the emotional, financial, and physical agony they put me through,” she demanded.
All efforts to get the reaction of the management of the hospital proved abortive as calls, texts and email messages were not replied to. (The PUNCH)
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My name has been cleared, says Alison-Madueke after London Jury acquits her of corruption charges
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has declared her complete vindication after being acquitted of all charges brought against her by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London.
In a statement issued on Wednesday through her representative, Bolouere Opukiri, Alison-Madueke said the verdict marked the end of an eleven-year legal battle that had subjected her and her family to intense public scrutiny.
“Today, at Southwark Crown Court, I was acquitted of all charges brought against me,” she said.
Reflecting on the lengthy legal process, the former minister described the period as one of immense hardship and personal suffering.
“For eleven arduous years, this matter has weighed heavily upon me and my family. Today, a decade of unrelenting and unjust vilification, condemnation, and scrutiny has finally concluded,” she stated.
Alison-Madueke expressed gratitude to God, her legal team, family and friends for their support throughout the trial.
“I give thanks to Almighty God for His faithfulness and for the complete vindication I have received. I am grateful to my legal counsel for their diligence, and to my family and friends for their steadfast support and encouragement throughout this period,” she said.
The former minister said the verdict had brought a sense of relief and closure after years of legal uncertainty.
“I am profoundly relieved. My name has been cleared, and this ordeal has come to an end,” she added.
Despite the acquittal, Alison-Madueke indicated that she intends to speak further about the events of the past decade and outline her future plans.
“This, however, is not the final chapter. In due course, I shall address this difficult period in greater detail and share my intentions for the future. For now, I intend to embrace the freedom that has been unjustly denied me for many years,” she said.
The statement followed her acquittal at Southwark Crown Court, bringing to a close a legal case that had attracted significant public attention over the past eleven years.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, was on Wednesday acquitted by a London jury of six bribery charges, after a rare corruption trial of a high-profile former energy official.
Alison-Madueke was minister between 2010 and 2015 under then-president Goodluck Jonathan.
She stood trial charged with five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery, which she denied.
Prosecutors alleged Alison-Madueke, 65, was given “a life of luxury” in London from oil and gas industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria, which has long grappled with mismanagement and corruption.
But the former minister, who was also briefly president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said she never took any bribes and had no real influence over awarding of lucrative government contracts.
After a trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court, Alison-Madueke was acquitted by a jury of all six charges she faced after more than 46 hours of deliberation.
The not guilty verdicts are a major blow to British authorities, which began their investigation into corruption allegations against Alison-Madueke more than a decade ago.
Alison-Madueke stood trial alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who was charged with one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and a separate count of bribery of a foreign public official.
Alison-Madueke’s brother Doye Agama, 69, was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery with his sister relating to payments made to Agama’s church.
Both Ayinde and Agama denied the charges against them and were also acquitted by the jury. (Reuters)
The Commander, 4 Special Forces Command, Nigerian Army, Doma, Maj.-Gen. Olurotimi Awolo, has inaugurated a General Court Martial (GCM) to try 12 soldiers accused of various offences, including alleged murder, assault and aiding criminality.
Speaking during the inauguration on Tuesday in Doma, the Commander, represented by the President of the General Court Martial, Col. Salihu Ibrahim, said the convening order was issued pursuant to powers conferred on him by Section 131(2)(d) of the Armed Forces Act, Cap A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He said the court was constituted to hear the cases of all accused personnel and determine each matter strictly on its merit.
“The court will be guided throughout the trial by the principles of natural justice as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“We are also mindful of the cardinal principle of criminal justice that every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“Where the prosecution fails to establish any allegation beyond reasonable doubt, the court will discharge and acquit the accused person.
“Conversely, where an accused person is found guilty, the law will take its course in accordance with the provisions governing such offences,” he said.
He assured all parties of the court’s commitment to fairness, justice and professionalism, urging prosecution and defence counsels to avoid unnecessary delays and frivolous adjournments.
The court president maintained that speedy disposal of the cases would serve the interest of justice and ensure confidence in the military justice system.
However, trial could not commence immediately after the inauguration as six of the accused persons present in court were declared medically unfit to stand trial.
The court’s Medical Orderly, Sgt. Audu Ahmadu, informed the panel that five of the six accused persons had elevated blood pressure levels.
Following the development, the prosecutor, Capt. Shamsondeen Sadiq, urged the medical orderly to ensure that the affected personnel received adequate medical attention to enable the trial to commence.
The President of the court subsequently adjourned proceedings to a later date, which would be communicated to all parties.
Speaking with newsmen after the inaugural sitting, Barr. George Illah, counsel to one of the accused persons, commended the Command for constituting the court martial.
He expressed confidence in the competence of the panel, noting that the president of the court, other members and the Judge Advocate were qualified to discharge their responsibilities.
“As a defence counsel, I will do my best to ensure that the soldiers standing trial before this honourable court martial get the justice they deserve.
“It is important for people to understand that military personnel standing trial before a court martial are entitled to all constitutional and legal rights guaranteed under the law, and we will ensure that those rights are protected,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the General Court Martial include Col. A.A. Buhari, Lt.-Col. Victor Yamu, Lt.-Col. A.K. Karma and Lt.-Col. S. Abdullahi.
Others are Maj. J.M. Usendeng, Maj. A.D. Ahmed, Maj. U. Ahmed, Maj. S.L. Sagu, while Capt. U. Nna serves as Judge Advocate. (NAN)
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