By The Okolie family has alleged that Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos, swapped their newborn baby with the corpse of another deceased child.
The family claims their baby, who was admitted to the Neonatal Unit after birth, was later pronounced dead, only for the hospital to hand them a different baby’s body for burial.
The incident began on Sunday, December 1, when Susan Okolie, a pregnant woman whose water had broken earlier in the day, was admitted to the hospital. Despite being in active labor, Susan experienced delays and poor communication from the medical staff.
The family alleges that she was subjected to unprofessional behavior, including being shouted at by a doctor when she sought clarification about her treatment.
On December 3, Susan was induced with misoprostol, and by 10:30 a.m., she delivered a baby boy who was struggling to breathe. The baby was admitted to the Neonatal Unit (NNU), but the family was not allowed to see him. The father had a brief moment with the baby, and Susan saw him once on December 4.
On December 5, tragedy struck.
The family was informed that the baby had suffered a medical emergency at 5:00 a.m. and passed away two hours later.
The hospital, however, did not notify Susan or her parents, who were present at the hospital overnight, during the crisis. Instead, the father was contacted later that morning to be informed of the death.
When the family attempted to retrieve the baby’s body for burial, they noticed discrepancies. The name tag on the corpse did not match their family name, and the morgue staff initially handed over the wrong body. After persistent requests, they were given another body labeled with their name, but upon inspection, they discovered it was not their baby.
The baby’s aunt, identified as Aggie Lawlaah on X (formerly Twitter), brought the matter to public attention. She shared the family’s plight on the platform, stating:
“Our nephew, Okolie’s baby, was pronounced dead at Gbagada General Hospital. But the baby we were given to bury was not ours. The negligence and lack of accountability are unbearable. We demand answers and justice!”
The family’s tragedy has sparked outrage online, with similar allegations against Gbagada General Hospital coming to light.
Another X user, identified as @iamOlanmanuel, recounted a similar experience:
“I lost my nephew, a 2-day-old baby, due to negligence by @GH_Gbagada, and we were told to take it as an act of God. My sister was bullied by the doctor and induced into early labor.”
The Okolie family has accused the hospital of negligence, unprofessional conduct, and a lack of accountability.
“We experienced gross incompetence from the doctors and nurses to the blood bank staff and morgue attendants. My sister is deeply hurt and needs closure. This baby was supposed to be her first child,” the aunt said.
The hospital management has yet to respond to the allegations as the Okolie family and others demand justice and accountability for what they describe as traumatic and avoidable tragedies.
