Accuses hospital of negligence, insensitivity unbecoming of ‘a supposed care institution’
From IKECHUKWU NNADI, Enugu
The family of a missing patient at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, has cried out over her disappareance, alleging that one of the hospital’s security officers raped and impregnated her before she “mysteriously” disappeared.
The family has, therefore, demanded justice for the missing lady.
The family’s misgiving about their daughter’s “mysterious” disappearance was contained in a press release sent to journalists in Enugu on Wednesday – earlier today, January 29 – by Israel Igwe, the elder brother of the missing lady, Blessing Igwe, a copy of which Daily Query obtained.
According to Israel, Blessing, 32, was admitted to the hospital on August 9, 2024, for psychiatric treatment. However, while receiving care, she was allegedly sexually assaulted by a security guard identified as Kazeem.
“One night while my sister was within the hospital premises, one Mr. Kazeem, a security man at the hospital, accosted her, lured her to a corner, threatened violence, and had non-consensual sexual intercourse with her,” the distraught brother agonised.
He said he was unaware of the assault until Blessing was already more than three months gone, when a hospital staff member suggested he conduct a pregnancy test on her.
“The pregnancy test was thereafter conducted, and the result came out positive. At the moment, my sister is about five-month pregnant. The pregnancy test result is intact and can be made available if the need be,” Igwe said.
He alleged that the family reported the matter to the hospital management but no attempt was made to investigate the matter or take any action.
Thereafter, Israel said he petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State Kanayo Uzuegbu, which led to an attempt to arrest the suspect, but the man fled.
“With respect to the rape, I petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, in furtherance of which the culprit was to be arrested, but he absconded. Prior to this event, I petitioned the hospital and pleaded for the rape case to be investigated, but to no avail,” he said.
The situation took an even more disturbing turn on January 15, 2025, when the hospital informed him that Blessing was missing.
“In a strange twist of events, in the morning hour of January 15th, 2025, I received a call from the hospital informing me that my sister was missing and that my presence was urgently needed. When I got to the hospital, they gave me the hospital bill and informed me that they did not know my sister’s whereabouts.
“We have searched every nook and cranny of both my home state and Enugu State, but she is nowhere to be found. All the entreaties made to the hospital management to give any reasonable account as to my sister’s whereabouts proved futile,” he explained.
Fearing for her safety, the family is calling on the authorities, security agencies, and the public to help find Blessing and ensure justice is served.
“It is discernible from the background that the life of my sister is in imminent danger. We sincerely believe as a family that the hospital has a duty of care in the circumstances and under no guise should they pass the buck to anyone else.
“It is indeed a helpless situation, and I am calling on all the relevant departments and agencies, security agents, the press, and well-meaning Nigerians to kindly rise to this occasion and save my poor sister from being lynched untimely.
“We therefore humbly urge that you explore all the options within the ambit of the law to give this matter the necessary visibility for justice to be done.”
Efforts to reach the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Ngozi Unaogu failed, as she did not pick up several calls made to her phone.
The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, under Dr. Unaogu would appear to be swimming against the tide these days.
Recently, in a similar case of injustice, the Court of Appeal in Enugu State dismissed an appeal filed by Dr. Unaogu and three consultant psychiatrists against a senior nurse, Afam Ndu.
The appeal, marked CA/E/47/2022, was filed by Dr Unaogu alongside Drs Ubochi Vincent, Justin Acho, and Ugwuonye Onyekachi, challenging the 2021 judgment of the Enugu State High Court in a defamation suit initiated by Mr Ndu.
The lower court, presided over by Justice E. M. Egumgbe, had awarded N2.5 million in damages to Ndu after the doctors accused him of rape, murder, and possessing fake certificates. The accusations prompted Ndu to file the defamation suit in 2017.
Dissatisfied with the High Court ruling, the doctors argued before the appellate court that the letter they sent to the Ministry of Health discrediting Ndu was privileged information. They based their appeal on two issues, including whether the trial court was right to rule that their petition against Ndu was false, malicious, and defamatory.
However, a three-man panel of the appellate court, led by Hon. Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar, while delivering judgement on Thursday struck out the appeal, stating it lacked merit. The panel concluded that the appellants’ grounds of appeal did not substantiate their claims
Justice Abubakar’s ruling was unanimously upheld by the two other justices on the panel.
Reacting to the judgment, Ndu’s lawyer, I. O. Adani, commended the court, describing the ruling as a victory for justice and society.
Sources who spoke on Mr. Igwe’s complaint in separate interviews with Daily Query, described as an irony of fate that the same Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu authorities who pursued a case of sexual abuse preferred against one of their top staff members up to the appeal court would not take action in an obvious case of sexual abuse of a patient in the hospital by another member of the hospital staff, this time a security officer.
“If Mr. Igwe’s complaint is true – and it’s an open copy, so it must be true – then people have reason to believe that the leadership of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu places little or no store by human rights and dignity,” said a source in Enugu. “And they should be embarrassed by their own failure to live by their Hippocratic Oath – to treat their patients as they themselves would like to be treated.”
