The news of Okpono Abasi’s arrival at St. Theresa’s Hospital in Issele-Uku, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State on September 27 had sent the entire Aniefon family into a jubilant mood at their residence in the rustic Ubulu-Okiti community, Aniocha South Local Government Area, where Aniefon, a casual labourer, works as an asphalt plant operator.
Their joy however turned into anxiety when the news filtered in moments later that the newborn baby had been referred to another hospital in Asaba, Delta State capital, causing Aniefon’s 75-year-old father, John Felix, to call off the customary reception for his first grandson at his residence.
By a stroke of ill fate, an otherwise joyous moment has since turned into ashes in the mouths of family members.
Recounting his ordeal, Aniefon said he felt proud on hearing the news that his wife Ebele had been delivered of a baby boy at St Theresa’s Hospital. He said he had made adequate preparations for the baby’s delivery hence he had no premonition of the tragic events that were about to unfold.
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He recalled that the medical doctors at St Theresa’s Hospital, who referred his son to the Specialist Hospital in Asaba had only cited complications due to prolonged labour. On getting to Asaba, he said, the newborn was again referred to El Comfort, a private hospital in Bonsaac part of Asaba, due to scarcity of bed space.
Unfortunately, his son died 11 days after he was admitted at El Comfort Hospital on September 29. But he said the hospital’s management refused to allow him to take his son’s body away for burial because of the outstanding medical bills.
He said the hospital only gave him the option of leaving his wife and mother-in-law behind as surety if he must take his baby’s body away without settling the outstanding bills.
“I was told to either leave my wife or mother-in-law and take the child for burial. But because my wife had a cesarean section, we all decided to sleep on the floor in the hospital,” he said.
Aniefon however said he was shocked when he went to collect the remains of his son the following morning and discovered that some of his vital organs were missing. He said: “The following morning, I went to check on the baby only to discover that his entire face had been mutilated. His two eyes had gorged out and one of his ears was missing. I was confused and speechless.
“My family and I chartered a taxi and headed to the police station in Asaba.
“But at Maryam Babangida Junction, we narrated the problem to operatives of Delta Safe who accompanied us to the hospital and three hospital staff members were arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Asaba.”
Aniefon said following his mandatory visit to the police station on October 11, five policemen stormed the private hospital and found two men tampering with the CCTV camera. He said the police arrested the men and took them to their station.
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Aniefon however said he was shocked at the hostile attitude of the policemen at the Delta SCID towards him and members of his family as the investigating police officer warned that he and his family members could face charges if the camera failed to reveal the culprits.
Aniefon said the attitude of the police gave him reasons to fear that the evidence in the CCTV camera could be destroyed. He alleged that the two men arrested by the policemen at El Comfort Hospital for tampering with the camera had already been set free.
He also said there were discrepancies in the accounts of the hospital’s Chief Medical Director (CMD) and another official of the hospital. According to him, while the CMD, Dr Ben Ajufo, claimed that the files for the month of September and October in the security camera were intact, the unnamed official said the camera has been out of use for several months.
Aniefon’s 30-year-old wife, Ebele, has been inconsolable, saying that she had contemplated suicide on several occasions after the incident.
The distraught mother, who said her pains were threefold, appealed to government to step into the matter to avoid miscarriage of justice.
Like her husband, however, she said she was determined to get justice for her son.
Ebele said: “My heart is broken. I am in pains. Not just one pain but three. First, the physical trauma of a cesarean section. Then, the death of my son in tragic circumstances and thirdly, the pain of the knowledge that vital organs of my innocent son were harvested by unknown persons.
“Each time I think about these things, I cry. I pray that God will help us out and give us justice in this case. “Sometimes I feel like committing suicide. I feel like jumping into our well at home. If my husband is not around, thoughts of suicide fill my heart.
“I want God to give us justice. They have seen that we are poor and don’t have lawyers. But we have God. We have Nigerians.
“We urge public spirited people to join us in this case. They want my husband in jail to cover their crime.”
A human rights group, Delta State Coalition of Civil Societies, NGO’s and Media, has raised the alarm over an alleged attempt by the Delta Police to cover up the alleged crime of organ harvesting in the private hospital.
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In the petition to Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Asaba, Delta State titled, ‘Organ Harvesting in El Comfort Hospital, Bonsaac, Asaba, Delta State and conspiracy by the Delta Police State CID (Homicide Department)’, human rights activist, Mr Victor Ojei, accused the Delta State Police Command of deliberately mishandling investigation into the missing organ case of an infant to pervert justice.
Ojei called for “a dispassionate re-investigation by another department or team from Nigerian Police Force, Zone 5 Benin City, Edo State, since the Delta Police State CID has been compromised and are biased”.
Part of the petition reads: “The case should be withdrawn by the Police for lack of proper investigation before prosecution because of the obvious bias. The case should be reassigned, investigated dispassionately and prosecuted thereafter.”
Ojei alleged that evidence had been tampered with as police detectives arrested two suspects caught tampering with the CCTV camera in the hospital.
He said: “During the investigation activity report on site, we discovered alongside six Supols assigned from the State CID Asaba that the CCTV Camera which could have exposed the suspect who perpetrated this act was being tampered with by some young men who obviously were employed by the El Comfort Hospital.
“They were arrested and brought to the State CID, but till date, we have no information on how they were handled despite being caught on site tampering with the CCTV hardware obviously in a cover-up bid.”
He said the removal of the original Investigating Police Officer (IPO) handling the case was “frivolous and unprofessional”, adding it was a ploy to frustrate the outcome.
He maintained that the Police failed in their duty of investigation by not performing an autopsy to determine what actually happened to the mutilated infant that was under the care of El Comfort Hospital.
But the Chief Medical Director, El Comfort, Dr Ben Ajufo, insisted the baby was handed over to its parents, adding that the parents slept in the hospital over the night with the baby.
He said: “If you have followed the development of the case, you should know that the baby was handed over to the father and mother and the parents slept with the baby in the hospital.
“The police have investigated the matter to know where the issue emanated. There was an attempt to force negotiation but we refused.”
Delta Police Command image maker, DSP Edafe Bright confirmed the incident but said the matter had been charged to court.
Investigation by The Nation revealed that those charged are Mr Aniefon John and the nurse on night duty.