A 21-year-old first-time mother, Iqmat Yinusa, has cried out for help after watching her newborn son grow inside a hospital cot, a tiny space he has never been allowed to leave because of an unpaid medical bill running into hundreds of thousands of naira.
It was reports that for more than three months, the young mother and her baby have remained at Lifeline Paediatric Hospital, Alekuwodo, Osogbo, Osun State, since August, unable to go home after treatment was completed, following the family’s inability to settle the hospital charges.
Yinusa, who hails from Iree, Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State, shared the harrowing experience of her family with The PUNCH.
With hurried steps and visible anxiety, Yinusa approached journalists, and before she could be asked a question, the young woman knelt down in greeting and pleaded for help.
“Ekaasan sir (Good afternoon sir). Please help me. My child and I have been here since August this year, and we’re not allowed to go because we couldn’t pay the hospital bill,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion.
Three Days of Labour, Emergency CS
Yinusa narrated that her ordeal began after she went into labour and spent three days at two different hospitals, hoping for a normal delivery.
She was first admitted to a hospital in Iree before being transferred to another private hospital in Iragbiji, where doctors later advised a Caesarean section due to complications.
“I was shocked when I was told I would undergo a CS. We didn’t expect it, although I had been in labour for three days. I was first admitted in Iree, then transferred to Iragbiji, where I spent two days before the procedure. It was a painful experience,” she recalled.
According to her, the baby became weak before delivery and was rushed out immediately after birth for specialist care at Lifeline Paediatric Hospital in Osogbo.
“My baby was rushed out of the hospital after delivery. I was told he was weak because of the labour stress and needed urgent medical attention. He was taken to Lifeline Hospital in Osogbo,” she said.
She added that being separated from her newborn at birth was traumatic. Yinusa said, “Despite being in pain, I wanted to stay with him. Being separated from my baby at birth was harrowing. I kept praying for a quick recovery and divine intervention so I could be with him.”
Mother Battles Health Complications
Yinusa’s health deteriorated after delivery, delaying her reunion with her child for about a month. She said she was stabilised with two pints of blood and several sachets of intravenous fluids.
By the time she was strong enough to join her baby at the hospital, the family’s finances had already been badly stretched.
“All I wanted was to be near my child,” she said.
At Lifeline Hospital, the baby was placed on oxygen for more than a week. Recalling her first meeting with her son after weeks of separation, Yinusa broke down in tears.
“I burst into tears when I saw where he was placed. It was such an emotional moment for me. I held him tight for the first time after a month. The hospital staff had been taking care of him, feeding him with baby formula. May no mother experience what I am going through,” she prayed.
She said breastfeeding was initially difficult as a first-time mother but improved over time.
“By the time I joined him, he had completed treatment, so my role was mainly cleaning and feeding him,” Yinusa explained.
Restricted Access Due To Unpaid Bills
It was reports that despite being allowed to stay in the hospital, Yinusa said her interaction with her baby was restricted because of the unpaid bill.
She explained that she could feed and clean her child, but was not allowed to hold him for long, for fear of being sent away by hospital staff.
“Till this moment, I haven’t been able to take my son home. I also can’t hold him for too long because of the hospital rules,” she said tearfully.
The young mother lamented that her baby, since birth, has never experienced life outside the hospital ward.
“Since birth, my baby has not seen the outside world. He has been confined to a small baby pod. The space is cramped, and rashes have appeared all over his body,” she said.
Explaining why her son had not been discharged, Yinusa said the hospital bill had become overwhelming for the family.
“We are owing the hospital. We couldn’t afford the bill, which is running to about ₦700,000. All the treatment amounted to over ₦800,000, but we made a deposit of ₦150,000 initially,” she explained.
She added that they had remained in the hospital since the first week of September, even after her baby completed treatment.
“I’m not blaming the hospital management; they have tried for us. I am appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to come to our aid,” the mother said.
‘I Am Exhausted’ – Father Speaks
The baby’s father, Sodiq, who spoke with journalists on the phone, said the experience had left him emotionally and financially drained.
The well-known moulder disclosed that he had spent over ₦900,000 on the treatment of his wife and child.
“This situation has drained me emotionally and financially,” he said.
According to him, his son was admitted on August 24 and completed about 15 days of treatment, but was not released due to the unpaid bill.
“My son has been detained for over three months because we couldn’t pay the hospital bill. He has spent nearly three months at the hospital now,” Sodiq.
Sodiq further explained the financial burden the family had borne since August.
“My wife underwent surgery to deliver the baby. She received two pints of blood transfusion. We deposited ₦150,000 before treatment started. The baby was on oxygen for eight days,” he said.
He added, “I spent ₦9,000 every four days on baby food. That’s almost ₦20,000 per week. We ran several tests for my wife and the baby, which cost a lot. I mould and fix well rings, but there is no patronage now. Nobody is willing to give me a loan.”
Appealing for public assistance, he said, “Please help us. Even if we manage to pay the bill now, what will we eat afterwards?”
Findings by reporters revealed that Yinusa’s experience is not isolated, as at least two other mothers were previously detained at the same hospital for over two months due to unpaid medical bills.
They were, however, released a few weeks ago after funds were raised to settle their bills.
The Oyo State Fire Services Agency has recovered three bodies and rescued five persons after a commercial bus plunged into the Ariyo River along Amunloko Road in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday.
The incident was confirmed in a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan, the state capital, by the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Services and Chairman of the agency, Moroof Akinwande.
Akinwande said the agency received a distress call at about 3:38 pm through a resident, Fadeke Yusuf, reporting that a vehicle had fallen into the river in the area.
According to him, firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene to carry out rescue operations.
He explained that upon arrival, the rescue team discovered that a Suzuki commercial bus with number plate OSUN LEW 484 XA, carrying eight passengers, had lost control and plunged into the river.
Five occupants were rescued alive and rushed to Ona-Ara Private Hospital in the Jegede area for treatment, while three others were recovered dead.
The remains of the deceased were handed over to a team of policemen from the Ogbere Divisional Headquarters led by ASP Aishat Ibrahim.
Akinwande attributed the accident to reckless driving.
He added that officials of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority from the Ona-Ara Division and the Chairman of Ona-Ara Local Government, Glorious Temitope, were present during the rescue operation.
The fire service boss urged motorists to drive with caution and adhere strictly to road safety rules to prevent avoidable accidents.
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has warned that violence against women and girls continues to be fuelled by war, militarisation and entrenched inequality, urging governments to move beyond condemnation and take decisive action.
Speaking at a high-level meeting marking five years of the UN Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, she said conflicts around the world are exposing women and girls to severe and lasting harm.
The UN deputy chief spoke on the sidelines of the ongoing 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday.
CSW is the United Nations’ principal global body dedicated to promoting gender equality and the rights and empowerment of women.
Established in 1946 by the UN Economic and Social Council, the Commission plays a central role in setting global standards on women’s rights and reviewing progress on gender equality
According to the UN, more than 4,500 cases of conflict-related sexual violence were verified in 2024, although the true number is likely far higher due to stigma, fear and collapsed reporting systems.
The deputy secretary-general pointed to alarming patterns in several crises. In Sudan, UN experts have reported widespread sexual violence and attacks on women human rights defenders.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a child has been reported raped every half hour, while in Haiti, sexual violence against children surged dramatically in recent years.
Mohammed stressed that women must be central to peace processes and political decision-making, warning that lasting peace cannot be achieved while women and girls remain excluded and unprotected.
In a related development, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said he was appalled by the devastating impact on civilians of increasing drone attacks in Sudan, amid reports that more than 200 civilians have been killed by drones since March 4 alone, in the Kordofan region and White Nile state.
“It is deeply troubling that despite multiple reminders, warnings and appeals, parties to the conflict continue to use increasingly powerful drones to deploy explosive weapons with wide-area impacts in populated areas,” the High Commissioner said.
He renewed his call for both sides in the brutal civil conflict between rival militaries to fully abide by international law, “particularly the clear prohibition on directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects and infrastructure, and against any form of indiscriminate attacks.”
In West Kordofan, at least 152 civilians have reportedly been killed by Sudanese army drone strikes, including at least 50 when a market and a hospital were hit.
Attacks on two separate markets in Abu Zabad and Wad Banda on March 7 left at least 40 civilians dead, and a lorry carrying civilians was struck allegedly by a SAF drone on 10 March, reportedly killing at least 50 civilians.
In South Kordofan, at least 39 civilians were reportedly killed, including 14 in the state capital Dilling, in heavy artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces and allied SPLM-North between 4 and 5 March.
Many homes, schools, markets and health facilities were damaged or destroyed in the attacks, compounding the impacts on civilians and local communities.
The High Commissioner also expressed alarm at the recent expansion of the conflict to White Nile state, which has come under heavy attack by RSF militia drone strikes since 4 March. A secondary school and a health clinic in Shukeiri village were hit on 11 March, reportedly killing at least 17 civilians, one of them a health worker.
“It will soon be three full years since the senseless conflict in Sudan began, devastating millions of lives and livelihoods. Yet the violence, fueled by these new technologies of war, simply keeps spreading,” Türk said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which opens on Monday, will end on March 19.
Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organisations from all regions of the world, including Nigeria, are attending the session.
The priority theme of the session will be ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers.
President Donald Trump said that he thinks new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose father, the former supreme leader, was killed on the first day of the US and Israel’s war on Iran, is alive but “damaged.”
Khamenei has not been seen by Iranians since his selection on Sunday by a clerical assembly, and his first comments were read out by a television presenter on Thursday.
“I think he probably is (alive). I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, you know,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News’ “The Brian Kilmeade Show.”
His remarks were published by Fox News late on Thursday.
In Khamenei’s first comments, he vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and called on neighboring countries to close US bases on their territory or risk Iran targeting them.
The US and Israel began attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran has responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf countries with US bases.
As the war approached the two-week mark, having killed thousands and shaken financial markets, the leaders of Iran, Israel and the United States all voiced defiance and have vowed to fight on.
