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PHOTOS: Osun hospital detains newborn, over mother’s N700k debt
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.
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The Araba of Osogbo, Ifáyemí Elébuibón, has defended the tradition of selecting a young maiden as the Arugba of the Osun-Osogbo Festival, describing the role as a privilege rather than child abuse.
This is as a priestess and custodian of Osun Osogbo also defended the practice, saying the Arugba was selected through Ifa divination from the royal lineage.
Osun-Osogbo: Priestess
Elébuibón spoke in a video interview posted on Sunday by Yoruba cultural content creator, Wàá Ṣeré, amid discussions surrounding the age and responsibilities of the 10-year-old Arugba, Princess Alimot Osunbunmi.
Arugba is the young maiden chosen to carry the sacred calabash during the annual Osun-Osogbo Festival procession to the Osun Sacred Grove.
Alimot, a member of the royal family of the Ataoja of Osogbo, was selected through traditional Ifa divination in March 2025.
She carried the sacred calabash for the first time during this year’s procession to the Osun Sacred Grove on Friday, after she was unable to do so during the 2025 festival because of her young age.
10-year-old Arugba of the Osun-Osogbo Festival, Princess Alimot Osunbunmi carries the sacred calabash at Osun Osogbo festival…Photo Credit: Dewunmi Lagos
Explaining the role and its benefit, Elébuibón said the Arugba served as a spiritual intermediary between the Osun deity and the people.
He added that the responsibility was not determined by biological age.
“You see those people saying all that? They lack understanding. They don’t know. Whoever says the Arugba is too young—this one is ten years old, but some started at five!
“The role the Arugba plays is a role of spiritual maturity, not about physical age. What the Arugba does for the town and the community is what the white man calls a ‘medium’—an intermediary between the Orisa and the people,” he said.
Elébuibón said the young maiden could communicate the wishes of the deity to the people because of the spiritual significance attached to the position.
“As young as she is, provided she remains pure and undefiled by any man, she can wake up one morning and say, ‘Mother Osun said this and that, do this, do that, don’t do this.’”
He added that the Arugba’s spiritual development was not necessarily tied to her physical age.
“Very soon, she will mature spiritually far beyond her biological age because the Orisa themselves nourish and care for them. Her role is not about age; what she does is not about age.”
FILE: Ifayemi Elebuibon
A female priestess and culture custodian, in another video posted by culture content creator Olamide Oseyifunmii, also defended the practice, saying the Arugba was selected through Ifa divination from the royal lineage.
According to her, the chosen maiden must be a virgin and is expected to observe certain taboos associated with the role.
“Whomever Ifa chooses becomes the Arugba. The Arugba must be a girl who remains untouched, pure, and a virgin. That is strictly what the Arugba must be,” she said.
She rejected the description of the practice as child abuse, saying the young girls selected for the role were traditionally protected and treated with care.
“Being selected as the Arugba carries taboos and honours; it is not what Westerners label as ‘child abuse’.”
The priestess said the Arugba was not expected to carry heavy loads apart from the sacred calabash during the annual procession.
She also explained the spiritual significance attached to the young maiden, saying devotees who bow before the Arugba were not worshipping the child but honouring the Osun deity believed to be represented through her.
“They were bowing to the divine spirit of Osun Ewuji inside her and upon her head,” she said.
The 2026 Osun-Osogbo Festival, which began on August 7, is being held at the Osun Sacred Grove in Osogbo, Osun State, and will run until August 19.
The annual festival, centred on the Osun deity, is one of Nigeria’s major traditional and cultural festivals and attracts worshippers, tourists and cultural enthusiasts from Nigeria and beyond.
Source: punchng.com
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Troops of Sector 2, Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA (JTF NW OPFY) rescued 33 kidnapped passengers in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, following a swift response to credible information on the kidnap of commuters by terrorists.
Troops of JTF NW OPFY, in conjunction with personnel of the Nigeria Police Force deployed at Tsafe, received credible information in the late afternoon of 8 August 2026 that terrorists had abducted passengers travelling through the Magazu area of Tsafe LGA. Acting promptly, the troops mobilized to the location and made contact with the terrorists, who were already moving the abducted passengers to an unknown destination.
The troops engaged the terrorists with effective fire, forcing them to abandon the victims and flee into adjoining bushes. The troops then secured and rescued all 33 abducted persons. Following the rescue, troops commenced exploitation of the general area and continued efforts to track the fleeing terrorists.
The Theatre Commander, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, commend the troops for their prompt response and professionalism, which led to the safe rescue of the passengers without any casualty. He reiterated the resolve of the Theatre Command to protect innocent citizens, deny terrorists freedom of action, and safeguard major transportation routes across the North-West.
Members of the public are encouraged to remain vigilant and promptly provide credible information on the activities and movements of terrorists and other criminal elements to security forces.
ALIYU DANJA
Lieutenant Colonel
Media Information Officer
Joint Task Force (North West) Operation FANSAN YAMMA
9 August 2026
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