The Kwara State Police Command is investigating the mysterious disappearance of the umbilical cord and placenta of a newborn at Government Cottage Hospital, Iloffa in Oke-Ero Local Government Area.
According to Punch, Mrs. C. B. A. Williams, a teacher at Orota Secondary School, gave birth on Sunday night, but the umbilical cord and placenta had not been returned to her by hospital staff.
Five health workers, including Dr. Ajibola, three nurses (Rukayat Adeloye, Aishat Awolusi, and Peace Alabi), and ward attendant Toyin Adewumi, are being detained by the General Investigation Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department in Ilorin for questioning.
“I was feeling some labour pains on Sunday and I got to the Cottage hospital, some minutes past 1pm on Sunday, and told the particular Nurse Adeloye 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 came, 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 to her home.
She, however, said that the hospital workers gave her a nylon containing her personal items but did not give her the placenta and the umbilical cord of the baby when they asked her to go home.
“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, an investigation is still ongoing,” the PPRO said.