Once a symbol of pride for the agrarian town of Ipokia, Ogun State, the General Hospital now tells a story of neglect and despair. From leaking roofs and collapsing ceilings to broken beds and empty wards, the 55-year-old facility has become so degraded that patients often arrive with their own mattresses, reports DARE OLAWIN
At the General Hospital in Ipokia, Ogun State, patients seeking care are greeted not by the promise of healing, but by leaking roofs, cracked walls, broken beds, and outdated equipment. Once a proud community facility, the hospital has deteriorated into a place where the sick are admitted with their own mattresses, forced to navigate dilapidated wards in search of relief.
Opened on January 30, 1970, by the then Military Governor of the Western Region, Robert Adeyinka Adebayo, the hospital has hardly undergone any major refurbishment in its 55 years of existence. Today, aside from stained and cracked walls, almost every structure and amenity that once defined the hospital’s value has fallen apart.
From the gate, the neglect is glaring. The gatehouse, garages, reception, lodges, and adjoining offices are shadows of their original form, far from befitting a secondary health facility. The wards, labour room, restrooms, and offices have decayed to the point where routine cleaning no longer makes a difference.
The terrazzo floors, once elegant and polished, now bear scars of neglect. The once sparkling marble chips are now dulled by years of grime and foot traffic. Health attendants and cleaners have long run out of ideas about how to make the environment even remotely welcoming.
A recent visit by our correspondent to the agrarian community hospital revealed the full extent of the decay. The wards are lined with ceilings that are steadily collapsing, with fallen plaster and paint chips scattered across the floors. Patients and visitors move through the corridors anxiously, eyes intact on the sagging ceiling boards, never sure when the next piece will fall.
Leaking roof and broken ceiling in a ward at Ipokia General Hospital, highlighting the facility’s state of neglect. Photo: Dare Olawin.
The medical equipment that once gave the hospital pride has long gone, reportedly carted away to Abeokuta for reasons residents say remain unexplained. What remains is a shell of a facility.
On rainy days, patients and their caregivers no longer just contend with illness—they fight for dry corners in a building that barely resembles a hospital. The roof, riddled with holes, serves more as a sieve than a shelter, letting rainwater stream freely into wards and offices.
The bathrooms present an even grimmer picture. Dirt and grime cling stubbornly to every surface. Toilets are clogged, cisterns broken, and pipes rusted. The foul smell lingers in the air, while cracked seats and leaking faucets complete the picture of abandonment. In one instance, a patient reportedly had to leave the hospital to relieve himself at home before returning to his hospital bed—a reflection of the deplorable state of the restrooms. Sticky, slippery floors, foul odours, and failing infrastructure combine to make the bathrooms a potential breeding ground for infection. Here, neglect is not just visible; it is dangerous.
The restrooms
Once a source of pride for the people of Ipokia, the General Hospital today is a crumbling relic. Its worn-out infrastructure has left residents struggling to access healthcare safely, underscoring years of government neglect and a desperate need for urgent intervention.
When our correspondent visited the hospital, the female ward was empty. The male ward had one patient, and the maternity ward had four neonates and their mothers. Residents of Ipokia said this showed the level at which the hospital has lost its glory and is now deserted by people who seek healthcare elsewhere, accredited or not.
“That hospital used to be our pride, but not anymore. It is now like an abandoned zone. People now seek healthcare somewhere else. Instead of going to that kind of hospital, they would rather go to a private one, some of which are not registered. The so-called auxiliary nurses are now the ones people rely on for their healthcare. Many have even resorted to self-medication, and you know what that means. Go and look at the empty wards; look around. It’s so degrading,” a community leader told our correspondent.
It was learnt that the beds in the wards have deteriorated to the level that some patients on admission now bring their own beds to the hospital.
“Look at the beds; see the springs and the stands. They are no longer good. That is why some patients go there with their beds. They know the condition of the beds in this hospital, and they know they can’t sleep on them. If you look at those beds, you will see they are gone. The metal frame and the mattresses – none of it is worth writing home about. The one in the emergency ward is even worse. Let’s just pray a patient doesn’t fall off one day,” a resident, Bolaji Sadiku, told our correspondent.
Empty theatre
The operating room at the hospital became empty after all the equipment installed in 1970 fell apart. As of today, our correspondent learnt that the theatre is still functioning because a community leader, the Balogun of Ipokia, Adesola Abolurin, renovated it. To prevent maternal mortality during Caesarean sections, Abolurin procured modern tools, including an operating table, suction machine, lights, and air conditioners. To keep the hospital from darkness, he also installed solar power. With this effort, the overworked doctor and nurses do their best to attend to pregnant women with special cases.
Empty ward at Ipokia General Hospital, Ogun State. Photo: Dare Olawin.
No hope for preterm babies
Children born before their due dates have no hope of survival in Ipokia. Unfortunately, there is no nearby facility where such neonates could be referred to. As a result, there have been cases of infant mortality involving preterm babies. When there are preterm births, depending on how critical the condition is, the babies are usually referred to the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta. Sadly, most of the babies die on the four-hour journey.
Alhaji Sodeeq Akeem was among the few lucky ones whose set of twins survived the condition last year. His two girls were born underweight, but a serving medical corps member in the hospital at the time volunteered to give them the intensive care they deserved, even without an incubator. Akeem was lucky because the conditions of the babies could be handled without the dire need for an incubator.
“When we gave birth to my twins, they were small and needed special care. They were supposed to be in the incubator for some weeks, but this hospital didn’t have that facility. They planned to refer us to Abeokuta that time, but there was no ambulance facility for that. There was a female doctor here then, a youth corps member, Dr Ramon. She was the one who faced the challenge. She did everything to ensure my daughters survived. I was lucky, all thanks to Allah. Others may not be so lucky,” the businessman said.
However, Adelani, another resident, was not so lucky. Earlier this year, his wife was delivered of a baby at the seventh month of pregnancy. The baby was underweight and had to be referred to the medical facility in Abeokuta.
“We lost the baby before we got to Ilaro. It was so painful. This hospital was built with a neonatal intensive care unit. It used to have an incubator, but I learnt that machine was taken away. With what we have seen, the few workers here have the capacity to handle preterm babies, but there are no facilities. We need urgent government attention,” he said.
Ambulances without drivers
Unarguably, the Ipokia General Hospital may be the only one with two ambulances parked under a shed because there are no personnel to drive them. The hospital has had one ambulance for years, and another was recently donated by the senator representing Ogun West, Olamilekan Adeola. Our correspondent saw that the vehicles were parked at the entrance, but there are no drivers to make good use of them.
“There are no drivers to operate these ambulances. It is so bad that the government cannot give us a driver for these ambulances. If there is a need to rush anybody to Abeokuta or Ilaro, these ambulances would just be useless. The last time my relative was moved to Abeokuta, we had to hire a driver from Idiroko. Look at that! How can we go to Idiroko to hire a driver for an ambulance in Ipokia? What if the man is busy? It doesn’t make sense,” the resident said.
The PUNCH gathered that officials of the Ogun State Hospital Management Board, sometime last year, arrived at the hospital with a truck. Their mission, initially unknown to many, was to cart away some medical equipment from the hospital. The only defence was that there were no trained personnel to operate those machines.
“From our findings, when they came last year or so, they took inventory of everything here with the storekeeper, who provided them with the list. There was even a big generator that had the capacity to power both the hospital and the water corporation machine beside it. Everything was taken away to Abeokuta. We were told that there were no personnel to handle those machines. So, they were taken away, even some that were installed decades ago. Instead of training people or sending trained personnel to Ipokia to handle the equipment, they took them away. I don’t think it is good,” a community source, who did not want to be mentioned, said.
Overworked staff
As of today, the general hospital is understaffed. Workers cannot go on leave while some run double shifts day and night with not enough time to rest. It was gathered that some nurses and doctors posted to Ipokia refused to stay because of the condition of the facility. Currently, there is only one doctor, who is usually assisted by a corps member.
“When nurses and doctors are posted here, they seek redeployment immediately. We have only one doctor, assisted by an NYSC doctor. One of our fathers here volunteered to take care of the corps members, paying them an additional stipend every month. He even got a power generator for them so they can stay. That is Ambassador Abolurin. The government should upgrade this hospital,” the Chairman, Ipokia Youth Development Council, Idowu Ajibade, said.
Ajibade regretted that the community had written several letters but there was no positive response from the government.
“Several letters have been written, but there has not been any positive response from the government. Can we compare this general hospital to the ones in Ota, Abeokuta, Ilaro, Ijebu-Ode, or even the one in Idiroko? How can just one doctor handle all cases? Are there not supposed to be specialists? How omnipotent is a doctor that he could handle all situations? Someone spoke of low patronage. Why won’t there be low patronage when the hospital is now a den of rats? This healthcare facility used to be our pride. It is the only general hospital in the whole Ipokia district, serving about eight wards. People started deserting it when it started becoming empty.
“As for the machines they said were moved away, we don’t know the reason for that, but they may feel it was better to take those things to where they would be useful instead of abandoning them here. But I believe that is not the best thing for the good people of Ipokia. The people deserve quality healthcare. We need to save this hospital from deterioration,” the youth leader remarked.
Group kicks
The sad reality drew the concern of The Pacesetters of Ipokia, a pro-development group in the area. In a strongly worded statement signed by its president, Kehinde Olumilade, the group painted a disturbing picture of the hospital’s decline.
“The Pacesetters of Ipokia note with deep concern the deplorable state of the General Hospital in Ipokia, once a beacon of hope and pride for our people. Today, the facility that should serve as the primary centre for healthcare delivery in the local government has been reduced to a shadow of itself,” the statement began.
The group recalled how the medical equipment that once adorned the hospital and gave confidence to patients has disappeared. Many residents, they said, alleged that the equipment was moved to Abeokuta for reasons still unexplained. What is left behind, according to The Pacesetters, is “a structure in decay, leaving patients and carers to struggle in unsafe and humiliating conditions.”
“Whenever it rains, wards and offices become flooded, as the leaking roof offers no protection. Patients, who should be receiving treatment in dignity, are forced to scramble for dry corners with their caregivers. In such an environment, quality healthcare is not just difficult—it is impossible,” the group lamented.
The statement was unequivocal in its demand: the Ogun State Government must act. “This is unacceptable. The people of Ipokia deserve better. We therefore passionately appeal to the Ogun State Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to urgently intervene by renovating the hospital, re-equipping it with modern medical facilities, and restoring it to the standard befitting a general hospital. The government should explain to us why some equipment was moved from this hospital with no replacement. The people deserve some explanations,” the group stressed.
Reiterating that the health of the people is non-negotiable, Olumilade stressed that a functional healthcare facility is not a privilege but a right.
“The health of our people cannot wait. A functional healthcare facility is not a privilege—it is a right. We believe that with the prompt attention of the state government, Ipokia General Hospital can once again serve as the lifeline for thousands of families who depend on it daily. We urge the government to act now, in the interest of public health, equity, and justice.”
With voices like those of The Pacesetters of Ipokia amplifying the cries of residents, the once-glorified hospital’s fate now rests squarely on the state government’s response—or silence.
Monarch’s unsuccessful efforts
The Onipokia of Ipokia, Oba Yisa Olaniran, said he and other elders of the community have made repeated efforts to salvage the situation. The monarch seemed tired, but he refused to give up because the hospital may cease to exist if the current trend continues.
The traditional ruler, just like Ajibade, said letters were written to the Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker. Promises were made, and officials of the government were sent to take photos of the hospital. But weeks and months passed with no remedy in sight.
“We have written several letters to the State Commissioner for Health as regards the general hospital in the past, in which they promised heaven and earth. They even sent their officials to take pictures then, all to no avail. You can even ask the lead physician there, Dr Sule; he was part of it then. No medical staff, just one doctor and an NYSC doctor. No equipment, and part of the building has become dilapidated. We pray the government remembers us one day,” he pleaded.
The Balogun of Ipokia, who has been supporting the facility, regretted that it is still in bad shape despite all efforts to make it look a bit better.
“The hospital remains in bad shape. I am in constant touch with the Permanent Secretary of the Hospitals Management Board. I hope to see the Chief of Staff on the re-roofing of the hospital,” Abolurin stated.
Ogun govt mum
The Ogun State Government has refused to speak on the hospital despite repeated efforts to get government officials to react.
A government spokesperson, Kayode Akinmade, said he would not be able to speak about the matter, referring our correspondent to the health commissioner.
The commissioner, Coker, did not answer calls to her phone nor did she reply to text messages sent to her days before filing this report.
In all of this, it could be deduced that Ipokia General Hospital tells a sobering story of how neglect can strip a once-proud institution of its value. What should be a place of healing has become a source of worry, where patients contend not just with illness but with broken beds, leaking roofs, and equipment long carted away. For a community that has written letters, pleaded with government officials, and even relied on the goodwill of individuals to keep the hospital barely functional, the silence from the authorities is deafening. The people of Ipokia are not asking for luxury; they are asking for the basics of care and dignity. Until that comes, the hospital will remain a shadow of itself, and the residents will continue to pay with their lives.
The Borno State Police Command has deployed security operatives to Lassa community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area following the abduction of an unspecified number of students writing the National Examinations Council examinations by suspected terrorists.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the attackers stormed the school at about 9 a.m. on Monday, shooting sporadically before abducting students and women selling food items within the school premises.
Confirming the deployment to PUNCH Online, the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Daso, said security operatives confronted the attackers, preventing a larger-scale abduction.
“Around 9 a.m. in the morning, ISWAP attacked Lassa Day Secondary School. They shot sporadically. An unspecified number of students have been abducted.
“Security forces confronted them. For now, we have an unspecified number of students who were abducted. The CP deployed the Area Commander in Askira/Uba. They are currently combing the bush,” Daso said.
The Special Adviser to Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, on Media and Strategy, Mr Solomon Kwamagar, a resident of Lassa, also confirmed the incident to PUNCH Online on Monday morning.
He disclosed that the attackers arrived on motorcycles and invaded the school.
“Today is Lassa market day. I was informed that they came through the market on motorcycles and went to Government Day Secondary School, Lassa. They shot and killed one teacher and took away all the students who were in their classrooms,” he said.
Kwamagar added, “Lassa in Borno State is predominantly inhabited by my people, the Margi. We are in both Adamawa and Borno states. I am from Lassa, but I chose to reside in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State.”
He further said, “I’m still making contacts to ascertain the total number of students and teachers who were kidnapped from the school.”
Earlier, the President of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, told PUNCH Online that the attackers wore military and forest guard uniforms.
“Yes. There was an attack on students writing NECO exams. The terrorists came around past nine. They passed the military checkpoint. They wore military and forest guard attire. They shot sporadically,” he said.
Kaigama said one teacher was killed while another sustained gunshot injuries.
“They killed one teacher from Chibok. They shot another, but not dead yet. They also kidnapped some students and women selling on the school premises. The numbers are not yet out,” he said.
When contacted, the Chairman of Askira/Uba Local Government Area, Mada Saidu, declined to comment.
“I am very busy now. We are in a situation,” he said.
Efforts to obtain comments from the state Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls nor responded to messages.
However, residents who spoke to PUNCH Online claimed that two teachers and one student were killed during the attack.
“They killed two teachers and one female student. The student was shot in her mouth,” a resident who requested anonymity said.
On May 16, PUNCH Online reported that 42 students and pupils were abducted after suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area.
The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, had said the abductees comprised four students of Government Day Secondary School, 28 primary school pupils and 10 children abducted from their homes.
The National Assembly is set to transmit the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the establishment of state police to the 36 state Houses of Assembly this week, marking the next critical stage of one of Nigeria’s most far-reaching security reforms.
The development comes days after the Senate passed the landmark constitutional amendment, with lawmakers now racing to secure the approval of at least 24 state legislatures before the bill can be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, disclosed the development in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, saying all the necessary arrangements had been concluded for the transmission.
According to him, the state legislatures and governors were already awaiting the bill following consultations held ahead of its passage by the National Assembly.
“The bill for the creation of state police will get to the states this week. The states’ speakers have met and are awaiting the bill from the National Assembly.
“The state governors are expecting it too, even with their presence in the Senate chamber when the bill was being considered and passed,” Adaramodu said.
The planned transmission signals the beginning of the final constitutional hurdle for the proposed amendment, which requires endorsement by not less than two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly in line with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution before it can become law.
Momentum has continued to build behind the proposal since the Senate approved the amendment after a clause-by-clause consideration of the report presented by the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.
The legislation seeks to establish a dual policing structure that will empower state governments to establish and maintain police services within their jurisdictions while preserving the constitutional responsibilities of the Nigeria Police Force over national security matters such as terrorism, border security, cybercrime, arms trafficking and other federal offences.
To address longstanding concerns over possible abuse by state governments, lawmakers incorporated several safeguards into the bill, including provisions prohibiting state police authorities from targeting individuals or groups for criticising governments and empowering the Federal Government to intervene in cases involving threats to national security, breakdown of public order or violations of fundamental human rights.
The proposed reform has received unprecedented backing from governors, speakers of state legislatures and major political stakeholders across the country.
The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria had earlier endorsed the bill, with its Chairman and Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, assuring Nigerians that all state houses of assembly would give the proposal diligent consideration.
Several governors have also welcomed the amendment, describing it as a timely response to worsening insecurity across the federation.
Among them, Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, described the Senate’s passage of the bill as a landmark step towards strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture, arguing that state police would possess a better understanding of local terrain and community dynamics, thereby improving intelligence gathering and response to criminal activities.
Similarly, the Forum of Progressive Speakers of State Legislatures under the All Progressives Congress pledged to facilitate speedy ratification in APC-controlled houses of assembly while promising robust oversight mechanisms to ensure professionalism and respect for human rights.
The Labour Party also threw its weight behind the proposal, describing the Senate’s action as a significant milestone in the quest to strengthen internal security through community-based policing.
Though it acknowledged concerns over possible abuse by governors, the party expressed confidence in the constitutional safeguards embedded in the amendment.
The proposal also attracted opposition from the Peoples Redemption Party, which questioned the timing of the initiative and urged Nigerians to reject it, arguing that the current administration lacks the credibility to oversee such a fundamental restructuring of the country’s policing system.
Despite the reservations expressed by critics, the planned transmission of the bill to the states this week is expected to trigger deliberations across the 36 Houses of Assembly, where lawmakers will conduct public hearings, stakeholder engagements and legislative scrutiny before voting on the constitutional amendment.
If at least 24 state assemblies endorse the proposal, it will pave the way for President Bola Tinubu’s assent, potentially ending decades of debate over the decentralisation of policing and ushering in what many stakeholders believe could be the most significant reform of Nigeria’s internal security architecture since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Sunday defended the passage of the state police bill, insisting that its passage, which 84 senators supported, is a response to Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
The upper chamber said the bill emerged from years of consultations, public engagements, and broad national consensus, stressing that it would be wrong to delay the proposal for political calculations ahead of the 2027 general election.
The position comes amid growing debate over the constitutional amendment bill, with supporters arguing that decentralising policing will improve security at the grassroots, while critics fear that state police could be abused by governors to intimidate political opponents.
Defending the Senate’s decision in a statement issued by his media office on Sunday, the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the proposal was “purely a child of necessity and not of political expediency as well as a product of national consensus and not of cynicism.”
He maintained that the establishment of state police had become a matter of urgent national importance that should not be sacrificed because of anyone’s political ambition.
According to him, the process leading to the passage of the bill did not begin recently but evolved through extensive constitutional review engagements involving key stakeholders across the country.
Despite some dissenting views, Bamidele said observations had shown that Nigerians largely welcomed the passage of the bill with the belief that it would significantly improve security at the sub-national level.
He said, “The state police proposal was part of memoranda submitted to the Senate Ad hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution. The memorandum had been subjected to a rigorous process and multi-tiered consultation across the federation due to its sensitive nature.
“During this process, the National Assembly broadly consulted the executive, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Conference of Speakers of the State Legislatures of Nigeria and the leadership of the Nigeria Police, among others.
“In July 2025, the National Assembly conducted public hearings in all geopolitical zones, and the participants overwhelmingly approved it.
“At each level of our consultation, nearly all stakeholders embraced the State Police Bill in the light of stark realities we are facing today.”
The Senate Leader said the Nigerian Police actively contributed to the drafting of the constitutional amendment by offering recommendations that helped lawmakers build safeguards against potential abuse of state police by political actors.
According to him, those recommendations formed part of accountability and oversight mechanisms embedded in the legislation to ensure that state police operate within constitutional limits.
He added that the willingness of the Nigerian Police to support the proposal underscored its strategic importance in addressing insecurity at the local and state levels.
Beyond the contributions of the police hierarchy, Bamidele said the bill was subjected to extensive debates in both chambers of the National Assembly before its eventual passage.
He noted that support for the legislation cut across party lines.
He said: “Even though the APC is the majority, there are members of opposition parties – PDP, ADC, NDC and Labour Party – that exercised their discretion in favour of the Bill, mainly in the national interest and not on a parochial basis.
“In the Senate, for instance, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the Bill. This accounted for 77.06 per cent approval at the Senate alone.”
Bamidele argued that security should transcend political affiliations, noting that countries facing security threats often unite behind reforms aimed at strengthening national safety.
Globally, he said, security “is a collective public good that benefits citizenry across ethnic, political and religious divides.
“Political actors elsewhere always throw off their togas of partisanship and parochialism to support initiatives that will boost and reinforce national security.”
He, therefore, urged opposition parties to contribute constructive ideas that would strengthen peace and stability across the federation rather than oppose initiatives solely on political grounds.
Bamidele also challenged opposition parties and leaders to come forward with ideas that would deepen the peace and stability of the federation.
“Even when they disagree on some grounds, they are under obligations to provide credible and useful ideas that can make our nation better and greater. Unfortunately, they have not passed this critical test of opposition democracy,” Bamidele said.
There was chaos at the temporary terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Sunday after heavy rainfall caused severe flooding at the facility.
The departure hall, boarding gates, airline temporary offices, and other sections of the makeshift terminal were submerged. The situation forced the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to shut the terminal abruptly, as airlines operating from the facility could no longer process passengers.
As a result of the flooding, airlines, including Air France-KLM, Ethiopian Airlines, and Fly Gabon, were relocated from the terminal. According to officials, the terminal’s powerhouse was also flooded, forcing the authorities to switch off electricity.
Consequently, all airlines operating from the facility were moved to Terminal Two of the MMIA. FAAN officials alleged that the flooding was caused by blocked drainage channels, which they attributed to the Chinese company currently reconstructing the old international terminal.The incident came just months after FAAN shut the old MMIA terminal for a major reconstruction project estimated to cost more than N600bn. A few months ago, a fire also broke out at the old terminal, damaging parts of the facility.
Sources said the ongoing reconstruction of the old terminal by the Chinese contractor has caused several disruptions at the airport.
Reacting to Sunday’s flooding, FAAN spokesperson Henry Agbebire confirmed the incident, attributing it to the ongoing construction work at the airport.
According to Agbebire, the construction temporarily affected the drainage system, resulting in flooding. He said, “It was the construction works that affected the drainage. And for operational reasons, we have moved airlines operating from that terminal to Terminal 2, and the development has not really affected their operations.
“There were no cancellations at all. We have taken immediate action to fix that problem to the extent that it doesn’t happen again. You can rest assured of that.”
