Police probe missing umbilical cord, placenta in Kwara hospital

Kwara State Police Command said it had arrested medical personnel from the Government Cottage Hospital in Iloffa town, located in the Oke-Ero local government area of the state, over the missing umbilical cord and placenta of a newly born baby.

The case of the missing placenta and umbilical cord, belonging to one Mrs. Williams C.B.A., occurred last Sunday.

Tribune reported that its revealed that about five suspected health workers are being detained by the General Investigation Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department of the police command in Ilorin.

It was also revealed that the matter was brought to the police headquarters in Ilorin for further investigation when efforts to unearth the mystery at various levels of the local government failed.

The investigation also uncovered that it took the concerted efforts of elders from the Odo-Owa community to calm the frayed nerves of restive youths, who suspected foul play as they were about to burn down the hospital over the incident.

When reached, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Kwara State Police Command, confirmed the development and the arrest of the suspects, saying that investigation had already commenced.

Speaking with journalists, the traumatised mother of the newly born baby, a teacher narrated her ordeal:

“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 contraptions. She was the one who 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, when the doctor also came in. At about some minutes to 5 pm, the doctor asked the nurse to usher me into the labour room again that 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 labour 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 delivery, one Nurse Alabi 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 labour 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 labour room, which we did. When we got there, the nylon inside which the placenta was kept was no longer there, likewise the carton too.”