18-year- old dies after abortion

Homicide detectives at Panti,
Yaba, have began
investigation into the death
of a teenager, Uju
Onwuzuruigbe, who allegedly
died from complications
arising from an unsafe
abortion.

Miss Onwuzuruigbe, 18, bled
to death on October 22 at her
parents ’ house at Shuribu, in
Ajangbadi, few days after an
auxiliary nurse, identified as
Joy Temi, performed an
abortion for her. Her parents
reported the matter to the
police; and subsequently her
lover, Peter Chukwunakwe,
and the nurse were arrested.

The victim ’s mother told her
story. “Uju be my daughter
and she is the fifth child wen
I born, dem plenty wen I get, ”
she said. “But on the 22nd,
she come home tell me her
mama say her belly dey pain
her. She come say make her I
give her hot water to drink.
As she drink and she still dey
cry, dey roll for bed say her
belly still dey pain her. I
come ask her say wetin
happen she say na stomach,
but around 5.30 am she come
dey shake say she wan die. I
tell her say she no go die
make she tell me wetin
happen. Na so she come
confess say, ‘mama, I don do
you bad, na belly I remove.’
She tell me about the nurse,
na so I come hear about wetin
happen to my daughter. As
she tell me these thing, na so
she come die. We come go
report the case to police. ”

Both the nurse, Ms Temi, and
the alleged lover, Mr
Chukwunakwe, denied
procuring abortion for the
deceased. “She came to me
on October 7th that she has a
venereal disease, that she
was having discharges, ” said
Ms Temi. “I gave her
Gentamicin Tablet and she
went home. It was after some
days that the police came and
arrest me that I did abortion
for Uju. I am a trained nurse
and I got my certificate at
the Falati Hospital. I did not
do any abortion for her, I
only treated her for a
virginal infection and it is
not an STD she had. ”

Mr Chukwunakwe agreed that
he dated the deceased, but
denied knowledge of the
pregnancy. “Uju is my girl
friend and I have known her
for more than one year, ” he
said. “She did not tell me
that she was pregnant and I
did not take her for any
abortion, so I do not know
anything about her death. ”

Ambrose Onwozurigbe, the
father of the victim, said he
is not interested in
prosecuting the case. “I want
make police release my
daughter dead body make I go
bury her, ” he said. “Her
body dey for mortuary and
doctors no dey to do autopsy
for her. Wetin don happen
don happen. E no good make
she dey there dey smell, her
spirit no agree rest and we
want carry her go burry her
make her spirit rest, so we
want make police release her
body to us. ”

Investigations into homicide
cases in the state are being
stalled following the strike
by Lagos doctors. A morgue
attendant at the Isolo
General Hospital, who did
not wish to be named,
confirmed that cases of
corpses without autopsy
reports have increased in the
last two months as a result of
the doctors ’ strike. “One
thing you should know is that
detectives cannot do their
work especially in homicide
cases when there is no
autopsy report to prove the
causes of death, ” he said.

“Many people are just
coming here to claim their
corpses without due autopsy
report because the doctors
that will carry it out are on
strike. So people must bury
their dead, and I can tell you
that because of this strike,
the corpses at this general
hospital have increased. ”