A Lagos-based lawyer, Justice John, has given a harrowing account of how he lost his wife during childbirth at Gynescope Specialist Hospital, Lekki, alleging grave medical negligence and systemic failures that, he said, led to her death.
The account, which has sparked widespread public reaction, was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by his friend and human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong.
In a detailed statement, John said his wife had registered and received antenatal care at the Lekki-based hospital without any known underlying illness before going in for delivery. According to him, complications arose following what he described as mismanaged Primary Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH).
He recounted that during antenatal visits in her third trimester, the attending consultant, Dr. Joseph Aliyu Yahaya, disclosed that the baby was large. John said he and his wife raised concerns about the safety of a spontaneous vaginal delivery and discussed the option of an elective Caesarean Section, but the consultant dismissed the suggestion and insisted on vaginal delivery.
According to the lawyer, his wife went into labour on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, and delivered a baby weighing 4.2 kilograms after an episiotomy was performed. He said the consultant left the labour ward shortly after delivery, while the stitching procedure was carried out by a subordinate.
“My wife complained of a dripping sensation inside her body,” John stated, adding that after further examination, the consultant noted unusual swelling and tight sutures and proceeded to re-suture her.
He alleged that following the second procedure, his wife became pale, unconscious and continued bleeding, despite the consultant reportedly acknowledging that she was bleeding internally.
“There was a clear 15-hour window between the delivery of our baby and my wife’s eventual passing,” he said, alleging that blood transfusions were administered without first identifying or repairing the source of the bleeding, and that no referral was made to a higher-level facility within that period.
John further claimed that in the early hours of Thursday, December 4, his wife began convulsing while no medical personnel were immediately present in the ward, which he said also lacked oxygen. He said his initial request for her transfer to another hospital was declined, before a late decision was made to move her.
Describing what he called a chaotic evacuation process, the lawyer alleged that his wife fell off a stretcher without side guards while being moved, that hospital staff appeared confused, and that the ambulance was not readily accessible or prepared for an emergency.
He said the ambulance later took his wife to Lagos Island, but appeared to be heading in the wrong direction until he intervened and redirected them to the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
John stated that Gynescope Specialist Hospital issued a death certificate attributing the death to cardiac arrest. However, he said an autopsy conducted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) as part of a coroner’s inquest listed the cause of death as hemorrhagic shock.
Following the incident, the lawyer said he had written to the Lagos State Government, including the Commissioner for Health and relevant permanent secretaries, and had also petitioned the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), demanding a thorough investigation.
“I demand accountability,” he said, calling for appropriate sanctions and possible criminal prosecution where applicable.
The post shared by Inibehe Effiong on X has continued to draw public attention, with many Nigerians calling for an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding the death and broader reforms in maternal healthcare delivery.
Too bad.