The Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch, has called for an urgent and thorough investigation into the death of Mrs. Akudo John, who died hours after childbirth at Gynescope Specialist Hospital, Ikate Elegushi, Lekki, Lagos.

The family of Mrs Akubo Lovelyn John and the management of Gynescope Specialist Hospital, Lagos, are also locked in a dispute over the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death hours after she delivered her baby at the facility.

While the John family accused medical personnel at the hospital of negligence and delay in referring the patient when her condition deteriorated, the hospital management dismissed the allegation, insisting that all necessary medical steps were taken to save her life.

John described his wife’s death as “sad, painful and completely avoidable,” alleging medical negligence, emergency failure and contradictory explanations by the hospital.

“My wife and I registered for antenatal care at the hospital in the 13th week of her pregnancy and attended religiously until delivery. All tests showed she was healthy and had no underlying illness,” he said.

However, this was dismissed by the Consultant, whose continuous assurances formed the basis of our confidence and professional trust.

“On Monday, 1st December 2025, my wife began experiencing mild contractions. On Tuesday, 2nd December2025, we arrived at the Hospital where the Medical Officer on Duty (“the M.O.”), Dr. Chukwuebuka Igbokwe, examined her and confirmed she was 2cm dilated.

Consequently, she was admitted. By the morning of Wednesday, 3rd December 2025, she was moved into the labour ward, having dilated to 5cm.

The Consultant Gynaecologist, Dr. Yahaya, induced labour by artificially rupturing the amniotic membranes. My wife went into labour, and I was present the entire time.”

John said his wife delivered through spontaneous vaginal delivery, noting that the family paid about N1.2 million, while the baby weighed 4.2kg, a size he said medical experts classify as fetal macrosomia.

He alleged that shortly after delivery, his wife complained of an internal flow of liquid and began bleeding.

“After this second procedure, my wife looked lifeless, pale, and unconscious for hours, while the bleeding continued unabated.

The Consultant admitted she was having internal bleeding yet took no steps to refer us to another facility or procure an expert surgeon, despite the dire situation. There was a clear 15-hour window between the delivery of our baby and my wife’s eventual passing.

A total of 5 pints of blood were purposelessly infused into my wife without first identifying the source of the bleeding hence the bleeding persisted.

It appeared the blood was flowing out as fast as it was being infused.”

The lawyer further alleged that it took several hours before a decision was taken to transfer his wife to a government hospital on Lagos Island.

He claimed that during the process of moving her from the third floor to the ground floor, she fell from the stretcher, and demanded that the hospital release the closed-circuit television footage of that day.

John called on the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the Lagos State Government and other relevant authorities to investigate the incident, insisting that his wife’s death should not be in vain.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch, Mrs Uchenna Akingbade, said the association would give institutional support to the deceased’s husband and demanded a probe into the matter to establish the facts.

The Chairman of the Law Reform Committee of the Lagos NBA, Dr Tolu Aderemi, also called for a thorough investigation, while an uncle of the deceased, High Chief Raymond Ohaekeleme, said justice must be done.

Responding, Prof. Okohue rejected the allegations of negligence and delay.

” It is not true that she was not referred on time. I am medical doctor of nearly 30 years and I have competent and capable hands working in the hospital. I cannot tell you all that happened but it was within a few hours and the situation was not related to the pregnancy itself.

“Before you refer a patient, you have to stabilize him or her and that was what we did. You just don’t carry a patient and send him or her somewhere else without stabilizing the patient.

It is not true that it took hours after she was stabilized before we decided to refer her.

“She delivered around mid day and everything went on well until about 8pm when we observed something. She even took pepper soup brought to her by a relative.

Then things just changed and the blood transfusion started around 6pm and she took five pints of blood and two members of staff in the hospital donated a pint each to assist her.

Among my staff is a man who worked at an international oil firm for about 30 years as a medical doctor among others. She started bleeding from the anus. That was strange.

” We didn’t waste time in doing what was needful. The family has even asked a pathologist at LASUTH to conduct autopsy on her and I am sure the results would have been given the family now.

We welcome coroner’s inquest into the matter. We have nothing to hide and we didn’t commit any infraction,” Okohue said.

He also denied claims that the deceased fell while being moved on a stretcher, explaining that the incident occurred when she insisted on going to the toilet despite being advised otherwise.