Metro

Patients Knock Rivers Hospital Over Alleged Food Extortion

Published

1 year ago

November 30, 2024

Editor

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

Gunmen Kidnap Businessman In Ibadan

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 60-year-old man in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The victim was kidnapped on Saturday while on his way to his residence.

The incident occurred at Jinarere, Alakia in Ibadan.

Public Relations Officer of the State Police command, Olayinka Ayanlade, when contacted, confirmed the incident.

Ayanlade in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, explained that efforts are ongoing to rescue the victim.

Ayanlade said, “Preliminary information reveals that the victim, a 60-year-old male and building materials trader, was accosted while returning home along the Jinarere axis of Alakia Road by four masked armed men, who forcefully whisked him away in an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla vehicle”.

Metro

Tragedy As Suspected Kidnappers Kill Young Entrepreneur In Edo

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

A 30-year-old entrepreneur and CEO of Principle Takeout, Justice Abu Oshioke, has been killed by suspected kidnappers in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

He was reportedly attacked by the suspected kidnappers on Saturday while on his way to pick up an order made for his child’s dedication on Sunday morning.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers attempted to force him into a nearby bush in a kidnapping attempt. However, he reportedly resisted and tried to escape.

In the course of the struggle, the assailants opened fire, shooting him multiple times.

Concerned residents quickly rushed him to a nearby medical facility, but he was confirmed dead on arrival.

The deceased was said to have recently gotten married and welcomed a baby boy.

The tragic event has turned a joyous occasion into a moment of grief for the family.

The shocking development has left the Ekpoma community in deep sorrow, with many residents expressing outrage over the growing insecurity in the area.

Edo State Police Command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem confirmed the incident and said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika has ordered a “full-scale investigation and intensified manhunt for those responsible.”

According to her, the Police, in collaboration with the military, local vigilantes, and hunters, are actively pursuing the perpetrators through coordinated operations.

Metro

Grandfathers Arrested For Drug Trafficking

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

Two grandfathers, aged 83 and 78, are among several suspects apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in a fresh nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.

Pa John Ofiel, 83, was arrested on Tuesday, 28 April during a raid in the Aba region of Abia State.

The NDLEA said that operatives acting on credible intelligence recovered 700 grams of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis already packaged into retail sachets.

The octogenarian, who claimed to be a professional shoemaker allegedly confessed to delving into the illicit trade.

In Ekiti State on Thursday 30 April 78 year old Ogunjobi Samuel was detained at his residence in Ilupeju-Ekiti where officers seized 350 grams of cannabis from him, identifying him as a local peddler.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, (CCEO), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), commended the various state commands for their drug supply reduction efforts.

He urged officers to maintain the current momentum, balancing enforcement with the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities.
The enforcement drive also led to the arrest of a notorious drug dealer in Oyo State Taofik Adeyemi, 49.

He was apprehended on Saturday, 2 May, at his residence in Ibadan after months of evading the authorities.

He was caught alongside his salesman, Mustapha Oyerinde, with 3.085kg of cannabis and a getaway vehicle.

Across other states, the NDLEA recorded significant seizures including over 140,000 pills and capsules of Tramadol intercepted in separate operations targeting transit routes from Damaturu to Hadejia.

A raid on Awolowo Market in Mushin area of Lagos state resulted in the recovery of 740kg of cannabis while in Kaduna, two suspects were caught on the Abuja-Jos highway with 290kg of compressed cannabis concealed in a Honda Ridgeline.

A 65-year-old driver was intercepted at the Ile-Ife toll gate in Osun state conveying skunk and methamphetamine, leading to a follow up arrest of the consignment’s owner in Ilesha.

In line with it’s mandate, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy, holding enlightenment lectures for students, Islamic schools, and commercial motorcyclists in Niger, Kano, Anambra, and Lagos states.

The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, noted that the agency remains committed to “cleansing the streets” of both notorious distributors and those who use age as a shield for criminal activity.