Akwa Ibom Gov’t Probes Death Of Mother, Newborn At Ikot Ekpene Hospital

The Akwa Ibom State Government has launched an investigation into the death of a woman and her newborn baby following an emergency caesarean section at the General Hospital in Ikot Ekpene.

A viral video circulating on social media captured the woman’s sister, Ndifreke Amos, in tears as she accused hospital staff of negligence that led to the tragedy.

According to Ndifreke, she had rushed her pregnant sister to the hospital on Saturday, August 30, 2025, in need of an urgent caesarean section. However, she claimed that upon arrival, they were informed there were no doctors on duty.

“They have finally killed my sister,” she cried. “Doctor was not on seat, doctor was not on duty, this is an act of negligence. My sister was bleeding, she was due for Caesarean section (CS), there was no doctor to operate her, she is dead,” she said tearfully.

“All efforts to contact the attending doctors failed. My sister remained unattended for over three hours, during which neither she nor her unborn baby received the medical intervention they needed,” Ndifreke alleged in the video.

She explained that by the time the doctors eventually carried out the operation, the baby had already died. On Sunday morning, her sister also passed away due to excessive bleeding.

“She was bleeding until she became unconscious before they took her to the theatre.”

“I told the doctor, ‘please after these three pints, look for another pint and keep it in case, but they shouted at me are you a doctor’?” she narrated.

She also added that she has all the evidence on her phone, “All evidence are on my phone, I recorded everything since this incident started yesterday.”

“However you people want to help me please help me, this nonsense must stop in this hospital, they neglected a pregnant woman,” she cried while still showing the ward .

Reacting to the development, Governor Umo Eno expressed sympathy to the bereaved family and assured them that the matter would not be swept under the carpet.

“The state government has zero tolerance for negligence, especially in life-threatening situations like this. I have directed the Health Commissioner, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel John, to set up a commission of inquiry comprising medical and legal experts to thoroughly investigate the incident,” the governor said.