A RIVERS State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, November 3, granted bail to two medical doctors facing manslaughter charges over the death of a 24-year-old patient, Rebekah Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika.
The accused, Jude Okpani, a gynaecologist, and Isiah-Tunde Akinlade, an anaesthetist, were released on bail of N1 million each, according to Punch.
They were arraigned by the Rivers State Government on a two-count charge of manslaughter and negligence.
The charges, brought under Section 325 of the 1999 Criminal Code of Rivers State, accuse the doctors of negligence leading to the fatal incident.
The prosecution alleged that the doctors failed to administer the proper dose of local spinal anaesthesia during the procedure, which reportedly caused a uterine rupture that resulted in the patient’s death.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During the hearing, the counsel to the defendants, C.T. Walter, applied for bail, which was not opposed by the prosecution counsel.
However, the prosecution counsel Christiana Tombari Bodo, requested stringent conditions, citing the sensitivity of the case.
Jumbo Stephens, a justice presiding over the case, granted bail of N1 million each to the accused, with two sureties required.
According to the judge, the sureties must be the chairman and secretary of the Rivers State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
Additional conditions include the submission of two passport photographs, verified addresses, and photocopies of a valid driver’s licence, international passport, or voter’s card.
For the accused persons, the judge said, “The 1st and 2nd defendants, who have just been admitted to bail, are also to deposit two copies of their passport photographs with the registrar of this court. These are the bail conditions.”
The court adjourned the case to January 20 and 27, 2025, for a hearing.
The trial of the Rivers doctors came against the backdrop of the recent acquittal of Lagos-based doctor Femi Olaleye by the Court of Appeal.
Olaleye, a medical practitioner, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2023 allegedly for raping his wife’s niece, a 15-year-old girl, between March 2020 and November 2021.
The Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court had found Olaleye guilty, based on the evidence provided by the prosecution.
The presiding judge, Rahman Oshodi, on Tuesday, October 24, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt by providing evidence before the court that supported the victim’s testimonies.
However, the appellate court in the state overturned his conviction on November 29, 2024, citing errors in the lower court’s judgment.
The appeal court thereafter discharged and acquitted the doctor.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M