Death of Pregnant Woman, Newborn: Family demands report of investigative panel

The family of the pregnant woman who died alongside her newborn baby at a government hospital in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, has accused the Akwa Ibom State Government of abandoning them and excluding them from the outcome of investigations into the incident.

The deceased, Ndianabasi Amos died at the General Hospital, Ikot Ekpene, on 30 August 2025.

In a statement issued by the family and forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES, a relative and elder sister to the deceased, Ndifreke Amos, rejected claims that justice had been done, insisting that they had never been briefed on the findings of the investigative committee set up by the state government.

“The family was kept completely in the dark. No feedback, briefing, or official communication was extended to the family regarding the committee’s findings or recommendations,” the statement said.

Claims of silence and ‘demeaning’ support

The family said its frustration deepened after it was informed of what it described as a “grossly inadequate and demeaning amount” proposed as support for the burial of the deceased and the education of her children.

“After this communication, the Commissioner for Health maintained gross silence, despite the family’s efforts to seek clarification and engagement,” the statement added.

According to the family, this silence prompted them to submit a fresh petition to the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, seeking transparency and accountability in the handling of the matter.

“The family is not opposed to accountability or institutional processes. However, accountability must be transparent, humane, and respectful of the victims’ families, not reduced to media statements and token gestures,” the statement said.

Among other things, the family demanded a “full, unedited report of the committee that sat on this matter, the detailed findings and recommendations arising from the committee’s work,” and a clear justification for all decisions taken, including the basis for the proposed support measures.”

“Until the committee’s full report and recommendations are formally released and communicated to the family, we do not accept or endorse any narrative suggesting that justice has been done or that the matter has been concluded,” the family said.

A family member, Ms Amos, who brought public attention to the case through a Facebook live during the incident, accused the Commissioner for Health, Ekem John, of abandoning the family.

Ms Amos told PREMIUM TIMES that the commissioner has refused to meet with her despite interventions from several quarters, adding that her sister’s body remains in the mortuary.

Commissioner reacts

However, Mr John has dismissed the allegation that he abandoned the victim’s family.

“The family has been well briefed over the incident. I have had several meetings with the family, including the father and husband of the deceased, both in my office and in the home of their pastor. Even this week, I met with the husband of the deceased in my office,” he said.

He added that he would not meet separately with the deceased’s sister when he has been meeting with “the husband and father to the deceased.”

Background

The death of the pregnant woman and her newborn sparked widespread outrage within and outside Akwa Ibom, forcing the state government to set up an investigative panel.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr John said medical personnel, including a doctor whose negligence allegedly led to the deaths, had been sacked.

Following the incident, the state government also declared a state of emergency in the health sector, recruited over 3,000 health workers and increased salaries as part of broader reforms.