• As detained parents of new born denies reported EDSG financial intervention
* Narrates ordeal
Umoru Imokha Abdullahi and family talking to journalists at the NUJ Press Centre, Edo State Council, Benin
Kingsley Abavo, (Managing Editor, Benin)
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The University of Benin Teaching
Hospital (UBTH) is in a mess of a suspected manipulation saga; involving the detention of the parents of a new born baby due to alleged inability to pay bills incurred, and subsequent Edo State Government financial intervention.
An online news platform; 'borderlinenews24.com'
first made viral on the social media space recently, the story of the young couple and baby.
Abdullahi's wife was delivered via a Cesarean Section (CS) and after 21 days in the hospital ward, the young father appealed for help when his medical bills reached over N530,000 and was unable to take his wife, Mrs. Happiness, and their baby girl home, the online news platform reported.
Somehow, the State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo had knowledge of the story and ordered his aides to immediately go, offset the bills to enable the release of the parents and baby.
But interestingly, the couple have denied the State Government financial intervention which was claimed to have enabled their release by the hospital's authority.
Umoru Imokha Abdulahi
on Monday, 14 April, 2025 in company of his wife and baby told journalists in Benin, the State Capital, that the story of Government financial intervention and another N400,000 donation from a good Nigerian were strange to them.
He narrates that on Thursday, 10 April, 2025, after being detained for 21 days, the hospital's authority suddenly showed empathy and hurriedly pushed them out of the ward . "We were asked to leave."
This was however after I was made to pay an additional N40,000 to the initial sum of N200,000 I paid out of the N380,000 bill before the daily charges of N10,000.
All these while, they were never aware of the coming of the Governor's aides to pay the bills until after they had been pushed out pretentiously by the hospital's authority, he said emotionally. "Everything happened behind us.
"The moment the hospital authority heard the Governor’ delegates was coming, they hurriedly asked us to leave and staged-managed the whole situation replacing my wife and child with someone else; who was introduced as Mercy Bassey, and the husband as Innocent Akpan.
"Even the ₦400,000 donated to us by a kind Nigerian via the hospital’s account was never handed over to us,” he said in an emotion laden voice.
"I only got to know of the N400,000 donation when a man who simply identified himself as Monday called on the phone and criticised me for being ungrateful to him; the donor."
The Edo State Government delegation, led by Dr Precious Ogboru, Special Adviser on Health Matters, and James Iorkusah, Executive Assistant to the Governor, had visited UBTH on Friday, 21 March, with the specific instruction to pay off the Abdullahi family’s medical bills.
"This intervention aligns with the SHINE transformational agenda of the present administration,” said Ogboru.
“The Governor, upon learning about the case, immediately instructed us to ensure the medical bills were paid first thing this morning. This gesture reflects the compassionate leadership that defines Senator Monday Okpebholo’s administration", he added.
Dr. Joshua Uwaila, Head of Public Relations and Protocol at the UBTH, reportedly also commended the Governor’s prompt action, describing it as a true demonstration of compassion and responsive leadership.
Unfortunately however, this compassionate and humanitarian gesture of the Governor, including the good Nigerian has been twisted by some elements in authority at the UBTH to be laced with controversy.
“I am begging the Governor to look into this. That money never got to us. UBTH staff treated us like we were nothing and pushed us out so they could benefit. I want justice for my family,” Abdullahi pleaded.
Abdullahi is an indigene of Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State and works as a labourer in the sawmill.
As at the time of filing this report, UBTH management has not issued any official response to the allegations, despite repeated requests for comment.
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