Adebola Akin-Bright, the boy whose intestines went missing after a procedure at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, has died.
The 12-year-old passed on on Tuesday evening, a few hours after the Lagos State Assembly had ruled that funds be released to take him overseas for adequate treatment.
The Assembly’s ruling followed the motion moved at the plenary by the chairman of the ad-hoc committee investigating the issue, Hon Noheem Adams.
Adams said it had made a shocking discovery during its investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the missing intestine of Akin-Bright, adding that the report of the committee would soon be made public.
He said, “A committee was set up by the Assembly to investigate the incident and the mother alleged that the intestine was missing. We made some shocking discoveries in the course of our investigation, but we will not make these known until we complete investigations.
Where could a 26-foot-long small intestine have gone to? -ADEBOLA’s Mom
“We discovered some unusual things in the process, and we will make them public for the whole world to see when we complete our investigations.
“The incident is very unusual, but we want the boy to survive, and Mr. Speaker is very interested in his survival, too.” However, a few hours after this, the Adebola was said to have died at LASUTH after developing complications.
The source close to the family said, “He passed on this evening. I can confirm that because I spoke with the mother. The mother and I are very close. I walked her to LASUTH.
“There were about four doctors working on the boy. The boy was gasping for breath. When they tried to do all they could do and couldn’t find anything, they just put oxygen on him and I joined them to put the boy in the ambulance.
“They took him straight to the Intensive Care Unit and at that point, I had to leave. I just got home now and I called my friend (the mum). She said, ‘The boy has given up already’ and hung up the call.”
We made some shocking discoveries in the course of our investigation -LAGOS ASSEMBLY
How it all started
The media went agog with news of a mother, Deborah Abiodun who pleaded with the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to initiate a thorough investigation into the disappearance of her son’s small intestine during his treatment at LASUTH, Lagos.
Abiodun recounted the traumatic journey in a viral video where she explained, “Sometime in March this year, my boy started vomiting and stooling, and the hospital we took him to suspected typhoid and he was treated.
However, when his condition didn’t improve after about five days, we moved him to another hospital, Obitoks Medical Centre, where it was discovered that he had a ruptured appendix requiring surgery. After about two weeks in the hospital, he emerged looking healthy again and even resumed school, doing well.
“Tragically, in June, Adebola complained of stomach pain, leading us back to the hospital (Obitoks). It was then discovered that he had developed intestinal obstruction, necessitating another surgery.”
She added, “There appeared a complication as the boy was still draining bilious fluid more than seven days after the surgery.
There were about four doctors working on the boy. The boy was gasping for breath. When they tried to do all they could do and couldn’t find anything, they just put oxygen on him -RELATION
“Dr. Abayomi Baiyewu, the CMD at Obitoks, recommended another surgery and even secured the services of a professor from a Teaching Hospital.” However, Deborah and her family opted for LASUTH, seeking what they believed would be more comprehensive care.
Upon arrival at LASUTH, a series of tests were conducted, and the doctors indicated that Adebola might not require another surgery. Instead, they recommended a conservative treatment and prescribed various medications. However, 25 days later, the doctors decided that surgery was the best course of action.
However, the consultant surgeon who performed the surgery informed Adebola’s mother that his small intestine was missing, and they could not guarantee his survival beyond five days.
Deborah explained that the boy could no longer absorb nutrients from food and might need to rely on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) administered intravenously for the rest of his life.
She narrated “I was dumbfounded; it was like my whole life was shattered because it was a story that could be told in Nollywood. Where could a 26-foot-long small intestine have gone to?”
Abiodun said she later contacted the surgeon at Obitoks Hospital, who had handled the previous surgeries, who also expressed surprise that LASUTH claimed they could not locate the boy’s intestine.
Adebola’s mother further claimed that the doctor at Obitoks Hospital affirmed that he would not have referred them to a government hospital under such circumstances and explicitly detailed his actions in the referral letter.
She, therefore, pleaded for the intervention of the Lagos State Government.
“The ongoing cost of purchasing TPN, which amounts to approximately N65,000 every two days, is financially unsustainable for the family,” she further lamented, adding that the possibility of an intestinal transplant, which is an extremely expensive procedure not performed in Africa, was imminent.
the consultant surgeon who performed the surgery informed Adebola’s mother that his small intestine was missing, and they could not guarantee his survival beyond five days
She pleaded with Sanwo-Olu to save her son and unravel the circumstances behind her child’s missing intestine.
After the news went viral, LASUTH released a statement denying that the child’s intestine went missing at the hospital.
The government hospital said that Akin-Bright was referred to LASUTH after having two surgeries at the private hospital. He required extensive optimisation at LASUTH before corrective surgery could be carried out.
The statement stated in part, “During the surgery, which was carried out by an experienced pediatric surgeon and her team, certain strange findings were discovered,” LASUTH said in a statement.
“There is a video clip of these intra-operative findings. The mother was informed about these findings but appeared to be in denial.”
Following the video which went viral, Sanwo-Olu visited the boy at the hospital, a few days later and promised to look into the matter.
Sanwo-Olu in a Twitter (X) post said, “After listening to Adebola’s mum and the medical officers in charge of his care, I gave him my word that I would not only take over his medical care and expenses, I would also ensure that everything is done to get him better, and back at home with his loved ones.”
