Metro News

Benin hospital detains 12-yr-old’s corpse over N400,000 debt, sexagenarian father seeks help

Published

2 years ago

September 16, 2022

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The family of a 12-year-old student of New Era College in Benin, Edo State, Glory Ekeleyede, who died at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital due to an illness, has called for help to recover her corpse for burial.

The grieving father of the deceased, Samson, said after his daughter died, the UBTH management held on to the corpse over the inability of the family to offset Glory’s outstanding medical bill to the tune of N400,000.

The 66-year-old, who said he had been doing menial jobs to feed his family, explained that attempts to save his daughter’s life made the family incur many debts

He said, “Our finances were completely wrecked due to Glory’s sickness. I do menial jobs outside to feed my children. My wife sells tomatoes and pepper in the market and that is how we have been managing.

“Glory hardly fell sick but the only time she took ill was the one that led to her death. We took her to some places for treatment because we thought she had a fever but when she wasn’t getting better after three days, we took to the Supreme Hospital where she was born and they referred us to UBTH.

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“At the UBTH, we did many tests and bought lots of drugs but she eventually died and we were told to pay an outstanding bill of N393,910 before we could take her corpse. They refused to let me have her body until I offset the bill.”

Samson appealed with the Edo State government, non-governmental organisations, and public spirited individuals to come to their aid in a bid to secure the release of his daughter’s corpse to fulfil her burial rites.

However, the state Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Joshua Uwaila, said he was not aware of the case, adding that the deceased’s father might have not gone through the right channel to seek assistance from the hospital.

He said, “We have a medical social services department where cases of indigent patients and social issues are handled and those are the ones that escalate it to management.

“Of course they also have to do their own investigations to actually ascertain if you are truly indigent. So, if you are going to waive bills or you are going to give some people a reduction, you need to do your investigations to find out if it’s somebody that deserves it.

READ NDLEA destroys 255 hectares of cannabis farms, arrests 13 in Ondo (Watch video of cannabis consumed by fire)

“This has to do with the federal government’s revenue, and one cannot just by fiat tell them not to pay. The best that they can do is to write to the CMD who is the only person that can do something on the issue.”

Uwaila said the management needed payment for services rendered to sustain the hospital, adding that everyone should be careful about anything that had to do with government revenue.

“It’s a pathetic situation but someone has to pay the money, good Samaritans, charity, NGOs, someone should pick the bill,” Uwaila said.

Metro News

Over 40 killed as bandits attack Plateau communities

Published

1 hour ago

May 21, 2024

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Over 40 persons have been reportedly killed by bandits in Zurak Kompani and Bandalala communities, Bashar District of Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Some Wase residents who spoke to Channels Television on the phone said the attacks on the villages occurred on Monday night when residents were retiring from the day’s work.

The bandits, according to the residents, attacked the villages simultaneously. They set houses on fire, leading to pandemonium in which some of the residents were killed and others sustaining injuries.

Over thirty persons were reportedly killed in Kompani Zurak while another ten were killed in Bandalala with several others still missing.

Residents of the attacked communities have fled to neighbouring villages to seek refuge.

One of the residents of Wase town Audu Ummah said that some of the injured from the attacked communities are receiving treatment in various health centres while other survivors have moved to Wase and other villages.

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Security agencies are yet to comment on the attacks as of the time of this report. The state government has yet to do the same.

The incident adds to the growing number of attacks in communities in the North-Central state which has been plagued by incessant clashes.

Plateau, which lies on the dividing line between Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south, is a flashpoint for intercommunal violence.

In December, several people were killed in raids on villages. Thousands of others were displaced in the attacks.

Clashes in Nigeria’s North-West and North-Central states have their roots in tensions over land between nomadic herders and pastoral farmers.

Competition for natural resources, intensified by rapid population growth and climate pressures, has spiralled into broader criminality.

Worried by the incessant attacks, the UN’s World Food Programme warned that conflict and insecurity, along with inflation and climate change, could sharply drive up hunger levels across the country.

READ NDLEA destroys 255 hectares of cannabis farms, arrests 13 in Ondo (Watch video of cannabis consumed by fire)

Metro News

EFCC arrests three brothers for suspected internet fraud in Makurdi

Published

1 day ago

May 20, 2024

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Operatives of the Makurdi Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday May 17, 2024 arrested three brothers for suspected internet fraud.

The siblings were arrested along New Garage, Wadata in Makurdi.

Spokesman of the agency, Dele Oyewale, who made this known on Sunday, said the suspects, Abubakar Sadiq Adejoh, Mohammed Habib Adejoh and Solomon Adejoh allegedly specialise in diverting customers’ funds from their accounts to a Point of Sale, POS, terminal for withdrawal.

Items recovered from them include a car, six mobile phones, one laptop and cash totaling N3,562,750.00 ( Three Million Five Hundred and Sixty Two Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Naira) only.

They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

READ Sanwo-Olu suspends LASBCA GM, as death toll in collapsed building increases to 14

Metro News

Hoodlums kill two, kidnap 7 in Ebonyi communal clashes

Published

1 day ago

May 20, 2024

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Two persons were killed while seven others were abducted in an attack on Ikachi Village in Akparata area of Effium in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, the police have confirmed

The spokesperson for Ebonyi Police Command, DSP Joshua Ukandu, who confirmed the incident added that the assailants also destroyed property worth millions of naira in the area on Sunday.

He added that the police have been working with other security agencies to restore peace into the area and to also ascertain the cause of the latest flare-up of communal clashes in the area.

Ezza and Effium communities have been enmeshed in deadly clashes since 2021.

“We are aware of the attack and the command is on top of the situation.

“We have been working with other security agencies to ensure that peace returned to the area.

“The command is also investigating the attack to ascertain the root cause of the matter,” Ukandu said.

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The police spokesman said that officers and men of the command were committed to the protection of lives and property in Ebonyi.