Woman alleges foul play over disappearance of twin baby

Speaking with our correspondent, Blessing explained that this was not her first childbirth, stating that she had previously given birth to two children, but only one survived. According to her, she underwent multiple scans from the same hospital ‘TipTop hospital’ at Abaranje area in Lagos State, which confirmed that she was carrying twins, a boy and a girl.

She said the tests were conducted three different times at Tip Top Hospital located in the Customs area of Abaranje off Ikotun, Lagos, and each result consistently indicated she was carrying a set of twins.

She said she never suspected foul play, as the attending doctor, Dr. Babajide, regularly contacted her for check-ups. However, things took a strange turn when she was suddenly informed she needed to undergo an urgent surgery, not long after she had been told her delivery date was still weeks away.

On the night of April 13, she said she and her husband arrived at the hospital, even though she had no signs of labour. She said her husband was later told to go home and return by 7 a.m. the next morning to monitor the operation.

To her surprise, Blessing recounted that she was suddenly woken up around 5:30 a.m. by a nurse wearing dreadlocks, who asked her to sign and rushed her into the surgery room in spite of her plea to wait for her husband. In the process, she said her consent form was not properly filled as her hand shook while she was signing.

She also claimed the anesthesia did not work on her and she remained conscious and in intense pain throughout the procedure.

“I saw them bring out the first and second baby. I even begged them to bring the babies close to me, but they refused,” she said in distress.

According to her, she was shocked when only one baby, a girl, was presented to her after the surgery. She said the hospital staff reportedly told her she was delivered of just one child, which contradicted everything she had been told during her pregnancy, and before the operation.

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When contacted, the man in the eye of the storm, Dr. Babajide declined to comment, stating that the matter was already with the police. Further investigations revealed that the doctor’s wife was the midwife during the operation, alongside four other individuals. The Investigative Police Officer in charge of the case, who requested anonymity, confirmed that the woman indeed gave birth at the hospital and that her family had presented scan results indicating twins as evidence. However, he said the doctor has claimed that what appeared as a second baby in the scans might have been a fibroid, a claim the police say will require thorough investigation.

The officer added that all individuals involved in the delivery have been identified, and a full-scale investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, tension continues to rise as family members of the woman gather daily in front of the hospital, protesting and insisting that their missing baby must be accounted for. The baby’s father, David Opeyemi, expressed shock over the situation. He stated that he was initially told to go home and return by 7 a.m., as his wife would be taken to the theatre for a cesarean section the next morning. He lamented that upon arriving just minutes past the scheduled time, he was informed that the operation had been completed and that his wife was delivered of only one baby.

He also revealed that prior to the surgery; he had been instructed to purchase baby items in twos, as the pregnancy was confirmed to be twins. “I had to struggle and borrow money to get everything ready for two babies. Now they are telling me it is just one. This is beyond me, I need the government to intervene,” he said.

As at the time of filing this report, the police had released Dr. Babajide on the condition that he continued his medical duties while making himself available for questioning as investigations continue.