The Kwara State Police Command says it has commenced investigations into the disappearance of the placenta and umbilical cord of a newborn baby at Government Cottage Hospital, Iloffa in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of the state last Sunday.
A woman identified as Mrs. C. B. A. Williams, a teacher at Orota Secondary School, Odo-Owa in Oke-Ero council area reportedly gave birth to a baby on Sunday night, but the placenta and the umbilical cord are yet to be given to her by the hospital workers.
Five health workers who are suspects in the matter are currently being detained by the General Investigation Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department of the command in Ilorin.
The suspects detained by the police late Thursday afternoon after interrogation included a resident doctor in the hospital named as Ajibola; and three nurses identified as Rukayat Adeloye, Aishat Awolusi, and Peace Alabi; as well as Toyin Adewumi, a ward attendant at the hospital.
It was gathered that the Police were called in when efforts to settle the controversy at various layers of hierarchies in the local government failed.
It was further gathered that it took spirited efforts of elders of the Odo-Owa community to calm restive youths who said they suspected foul play and were about to burn down the hospital on Tuesday over the incident.
It was learnt that Mrs. Williams delivered her baby at the hospital on Sunday night at about 7 pm.
Williams, while narrating her ordeal, said she was taken to the hospital when labour commenced on Sunday afternoon and that she gave birth to a baby at about 7pm the same day.
“I was feeling labour pangs on Sunday and I got to the Cottage Hospital some minutes past 1pm on Sunday, and told nurse Adeloye, whom I met on duty, that I was having contractions. She was the one that 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 arrived the hospital, the doctor also came in and instructed the nurse to usher me into the labour room.
“In the course of the delivery, it was one nurse Alabi who took the delivery, and nurse Adeloye and the ward Attendant identified as Mrs. Toyin were the three people present.
She said that she delivered the baby and was in the hospital till the following morning before she was discharged and allowed to go home.
She, however, said that the hospital workers gave her a nylon bag containing her personal items but did not give her the placenta and the umbilical cord.
“Though they handed a black nylon bag to me, I discovered that there are two missing items inside the nylon – those are the umbilical cord and the placenta,” she said.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Kwara State Police Command, Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, confirmed the incident, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
“The police are investigating the incident and five suspects have been arrested in connection with it,” the PPRO said.
