Metro

Patients Knock Rivers Hospital Over Alleged Food Extortion

Published

1 year ago

November 30, 2024

Patients seeking medical services at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, River state, have accused the hospital of forcing them to purchase food.

They also expressed concerns about power outages, the reported poor condition of the hospital’s toilets and bad water.

But the hospital dismissed the claims, describing it as untrue.

According to some of the patients, they were forced to pay for food and had to endure the unbearable smell in their wards, which emanated from the toilets.

In a viral post, an X user, Baridueh Badon (@BadonB), criticise the hospital service.

He described his mother’s six-month stay at the hospital as one of the worst healthcare experiences he ever had.

Narrating the ordeal, he stressed, “The first shock was compulsory feeding. Every patient was forced to eat hospital food. You can’t opt out of it. This food is worse than what people in prison eat. The cost was N2,000 per day. I could not understand why a hospital would force patients to eat their food.”

Also speaking about her experience, a patient at the hospital, Maureen Ikeaguchi, commended the UPHTH on its medical services, even as she said some of its financial bills were needless.

“I was treated well, even when I was in emergency. There was a swift response from them to take care of me. They didn’t even ask us for money for surgery. They had to take care of me first,” she noted.

However, Ikeaguchi said she was handed a food bill of N7,000 that she knew nothing about.

He said, “On the day we were about to leave the hospital, they gave me a bill of N7,000. They said it was for my feeding for the seven days I spent. I never ate their food. We argued but I ended up paying that money. That is one of the unnecessary bills I paid. Patients shouldn’t be forced.”

She further complained about the hospital’s water and toilet facilities.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Thursday, a briefed father, Tony John, who said he lost his son at the hospital, also attested to the good standard of the hospital, though he criticised some of its medical services.

John claimed that the hospital’s staff spent over three hours before a file was opened for his son, just as he condemned what he described as dirtiness and bad water in the hospital.

“Poor electricity was a very serious issue. At the ICU, on the day my boy passed on, I bought 10 litres of fuel for them with a keg.”

Meanwhile, the acting Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Elabha Meni, denied all the claims of the patients and others, stating they were not correct.

Meni said the hospital didn’t experience power outages, just as the emergency areas never shut down.

“Power doesn’t disrupt our services in any way. How can power disrupt surgical procedures when operations are going on? Most times, people base their reports on social media, which isn’t correct,” Meni said.

Justifying the food charges by the hospital, Meni said, “There is inpatient feeding for every patient admitted for diabetes, and the food we give them goes with the treatment. As for the cost, I don’t know what it is. Every hospital has its policies. That is our policy, and they will have to follow it. It is for treatment, and people have to eat certain things.

“If anybody is found wanting on these allegations, through an investigation by the hospital, a decision will be taken because we deal with life. Life can’t be bought, and the management values life.”
PUNCH

Metro

Kwara Traditional Ruler Kidnapped On His Farm

Published

23 hours ago

November 30, 2025

Editor

Gunmen have reportedly abducted a traditional ruler in Bayagan community in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Ojibara of Bayagan Oba Kamilu Salami, on Saturday.

It was gathered that the traditional ruler was kidnapped Saturday morning on his farm, while details of the incident were still sketchy.

Eyewitness disclosed that the attack happened suddenly and left the community in apprehension and confusion. Meanwhile, the incident had triggered fresh concerns over cases of insecurity across the country.

The Kwara State Police command was yet to confirm the incident as at when filing this report.

Metro

Sokoto Police Arrest Suspected Cultists, Uncover WhatsApp Recruitment Channel

Published

2 days ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

The Sokoto State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of the notorious “Sai Malam” cult group, believed to be behind rising criminal activities in parts of the state.

The suspects, including the alleged gang leader Usman Shu’aibu, were apprehended on Friday during an intelligence-led operation executed by the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, the suspects confessed to being initiated into the group through a private WhatsApp platform called Red Chamber.

The police noted that further investigation discovered the social media channel was created to recruit unsuspecting youths into criminal activities.

These, according to the statement, include ritual practices, the pursuit of supposed demonic powers, acts of homosexuality, and violent thuggery.

The police warned parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities closely, noting that criminal groups are increasingly exploiting digital platforms to lure vulnerable youths.

Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Musa, said the arrests respond directly to public concerns about the group’s operations, adding that efforts are ongoing to track other fleeing members.

He assured residents of the command’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven policing and safeguarding lives and property across the state.

In other news, two persons suspected to be hoodlums have been arrested by the operatives of the Ondo State Police Command for allegedly stabbing a police officer to death in Akure, the state capital.

The suspects, identified as Shina Jacob, 25, and Felix Olalekan, 32, allegedly attacked the police inspector during an altercation at Oke-Arata within Arakale axis.

The killing of the police officer came a few days after a personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was stabbed to death by a mentally unstable man in Oba-Ile area of Akure.

According to sources, after the inspector, who was recently transferred from the Anti-Cultism Unit to B-Division, was stabbed, the area was thrown into a state of panic as residents and traders hurriedly fled.

While confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed that the officer was rushed to the hospital after he was stabbed but gave up the ghost while receiving treatment.

“An altercation ensued between the officer and some recalcitrant individuals, during which the officer was tragically stabbed. This unfortunate event triggered an immediate and coordinated police response.

“Acting swiftly, the Commissioner of Police deployed a team of operatives to the scene, resulting in the arrest of two suspects directly connected to the incident. They include Shina Jacob ‘m’ aged 25 years and Felix Olalekan ‘m’ aged 32 years.

“The injured officer was also rescued and rushed to the hospital; however, despite all efforts, the police inspector sadly passed away while receiving treatment. The follow-up operation conducted last night formed part of the Command’s sustained and strategic efforts to rid the state of violent criminal elements and prevent further breaches of public safety,” Ayanlade stated.”

Metro

Army, Air Force Crush ISWAP Fighters After Failed Chibok Attack

Published

2 days ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

Troops of the 28 Task Force Brigade, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai, on Saturday stopped a major attack by ISWAP/Boko Haram fighters in Chibok, Borno State, before the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) moved in with airstrikes that killed many of the fleeing terrorists.

The report was contained in a post shared on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama.

According to the update, more than 300 terrorists launched a coordinated assault on Chibok around 3:00 a.m., attempting to break through military defensive positions.

Soldiers responded immediately, engaging the attackers in a fierce gunfight that lasted about two hours.

A security source quoted in the post said the troops acted swiftly and professionally.

“There was no casualty on our side, and no equipment was affected,” the source said.

As the terrorists began to retreat toward the Timbuktu Triangle, ground troops called for air support.

NAF combat aircraft were deployed to the route used by the fleeing fighters.

The airstrikes, guided by intelligence from the troops on the ground, hit several clusters of terrorists trying to escape.

Multiple waves of strikes were carried out, with both manned aircraft and an unmanned aerial platform targeting groups of fighters dispersing into the forest.

According to Makama, the combined efforts of the Army and the Air Force dealt heavy blows to the attackers, preventing them from regrouping after the failed offensive.