Two medical doctors, Dr. Michael Atiba and Dr. Michael Ugbeye, are standing trial at the Ikeja High Court of Lagos State, presided over by Justice Oyindamola Ogala, for the death of a patient, Ejiro Ugorobi.
Chronicle NG gathered that the Lagos State Government had on March 25, 2024, arraigned the medical doctors over their alleged involvement in the involuntary manslaughter of the deceased patient, to which both pleaded not guilty.
According to the prosecution counsel, A. O. Azeez, Atiba, a doctor at Gbagada General Hospital, and Ugbeye, a consultant at the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Igbobi, Lagos, are charged with involuntary manslaughter by the Lagos State Government.
He stated that the event occurred on October 21, 2023, at Michael Adekoya Street, Ilupeju, Lagos State, and that Atiba and Ugbeye had committed alleged involuntary manslaughter, which violates Section 224 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.
During the trial and cross-examination of the prosecution’s first witness, the deceased’s mother, Nkechi Ugorobi, she revealed that on September 9, 2023, he went to play football for exercise when he fell and injured his leg.
“Ejiro is my only son. He is 29 years old, an electrical engineer by training, and went into marketing finance. He is my friend, my adviser, and my chatmate. On September 9, 2023, Ejiro went to play football as exercise and fell. He called me and told me that he had fallen while playing football,” she said.
She further stated that the deceased advised her that his injury was severe with a swollen leg and that he needed to see Ugbeye, the doctor at Morningside Specialist Hospital, for treatment. Further tests revealed that he had a torn ligament.
“I asked him how bad it was, and he told me it was serious. He told me his leg was swollen and that he had to go and see a doctor at Morningside Specialist Hospital under Ugbeye, the second defendant, who is the owner of the hospital. The following day, he told me that he had to run some tests. The test confirmed that he had a torn ligament,” she continued.
She revealed that at this time, the deceased was working from home and reported to her that the oedema was reducing and he was feeling better.
However, she stated that he mentioned one day that he needed to have additional testing, including blood tests, and that while the swelling had subsided, he was still in discomfort and walking with difficulty, resulting in a limp.
She said, “Throughout this period, he wasn’t going to work, and he was working from home. I asked him how he was faring, and he told me that the swelling was going down and that he was feeling better. He told me he had to run a longer test, both blood and others. Then one day, he told me that the swelling had come down but that he was still feeling pains and walking with difficulty, limping.”
She further added that Ejiro had informed her that he was scheduled to have a non-invasive surgery on October 21, 2023, with his sister accompanying him.
He claimed that the surgery was successful but that he was uncomfortable and sick afterward.
She revealed Ejiro’s temperature fluctuated between hot and cool, and his leg felt quite heavy; when he awoke, he complained of weakness, shortness of breath, and palpitations. She later revealed that he died as a result of his surgery.
“Ejiro carried out that surgery on October 21, 2023. Ejiro went to the hospital with his immediate elder sister. He told me that they were there already when he had the surgery.
“Afterwards, he called me and told me that the surgery was successful and that the surgeon did a perfect job, but that the injection they gave him was disturbing him and that his stomach was disturbing him.
“He also said he felt like vomiting, that he was feeling cold and hot, and that his leg was as heavy as iron. After some time, he said he was feeling sleepy. That was the end of my discussion with him.
“I spoke with him when he woke up; he told me that he was weak and that he was having shortness of breath and palpitations. After that, Ejiro died. He died after his surgery on October 21, 2023,” she said.
Justice Ogala adjourned the case until November 20, 2024, for the trial and cross-examination of the prosecution’s second witness.
