A nurse at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, Mrs. Folade Adeshina, has been sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment with an option of a N100,000 fine, for inflicting injuries on a newborn baby.

A chief magistrates’ court In the state on Thursday found Adeshina guilty of a count-charge of causing grievous injuries.

The presiding Magistrate, Hafsat Mai-akwai Lamido, affirmed that the nurse was guilty as charged and sentenced her to 18 months’ imprisonment. She was, however, given an option to pay N100,000 fine.

Daily Trust had exclusively reported that the incident happened on June 15, 2021 when the baby’s mother, who is a non-academic staff member of the Nigeria Open University, Sokoto learning centre, gave birth at the hospital.

The mother, Asma’u Ahmad Tijjani, who spoke to newsmen after the judgement, described the verdict as a respite to the family, adding that the baby girl, who is now over one-year-old, had fully recovered.

Counsel for the second defendant (UDUTH), Barrister Asma’u Jega, declined comments on the judgement and referred our reporter to the Public Relations Officer of the teaching hospital. The PRO, however, did not respond to our correspondent’s calls.

The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Anas Sabir, had last year told our reporter that the nurse was suspended indefinitely pending the outcome of the case.

Narrating the story to Daily Trust, the mother, Asma’u Ahmad Tijjani, recalled that one week to her expected date of delivery (EDD), the nurse met with her.

She said, “Immediately we came out from my office, she started asking some questions, like ‘when am I coming to the hospital; when is my EDD and what is my full name.?’ This really surprised me because that was the first time I was having one-on-one discussion with her, so I refused to reveal all the information to her.

“She then told me that she was in possession of my medical record and knew everything about me and that she only wanted to be of help. When I was due for delivery and was taken to the labor room, the same woman came and stood by my bed, speaking Yoruba to her colleagues. This made me very uncomfortable because I did not know her mission, so I complained to my nurse who pleaded with her to leave the place.

“Immediately after my delivery, my nurse started preaching to me that I should always try to be kind to the people I deal with, especially in my working place. She said the nurse told her that I gave her carryover. I was shocked to hear this, because I am not a teaching staff member at the university and have no business with students’ scripts. So how could I give her a carryover?

“So, when my husband came, the same woman collected my baby and said she was taking her to him. I then asked one of the doctors present at the time to follow her up but she declined. After some minutes, she brought the baby back and I noticed some blood coming out from her eyes. So, I started crying and shouting.

“Other staff members rushed out to look for her, but she was nowhere to be found and her phone had been switched off. The baby was then taken to the eye section of the hospital where it was confirmed that both her eyes were pricked but the object did not penetrate into the two lenses. The nurse however, came the following morning with a basket of cooked food which I rejected.” (Daily Trust)

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