Suspected vandals have allegedly looted and destroyed the 80-bed Federal Government Mother and Child Specialist Hospital in Pakiotan, Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The yet-to-be-operational facility, fully equipped with beds, drugs, laboratory tools, and other medical consumables worth millions of naira, was commissioned on May 27, 2023.

The project, facilitated by former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, was handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health through the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

Speaking during a tour of the damaged facility, the Onipakiotan of Pakiotan, Oba James Oyetunji Ojo, condemned the attack, recalling that some cables had been vandalised before the commissioning but were replaced by Dare.

Oba Ojo said, ?The destruction of this infrastructure has become a major concern for the community and requires urgent and coordinated action.

?We must ensure that those who willfully destroy or vandalise public property are held accountable. As the saying goes, offenders must be brought to justice or justice brought to them.

?Since the handover, nothing has been happening here. We have no access to the facility, and there?s no security. Recently, we noticed signs of intrusion, and when one of Dare?s aides joined us to inspect the site, we were shocked to discover that all the cables, 150 solar batteries, electrical appliances, ceiling fans, and other valuable items had been removed.?

According to the monarch, the Community released eight plots of land to the government for the building of the hospital, aimed at bringing quality maternal and child healthcare closer to the people, but the facilities have not been put to use since it was commissioned years back.

He appealed to the ministry through UCH to either commence operations immediately or hand the hospital over to the community for proper management, saying, ?If the hospital had been put to use, such incidents would not have happened.?

Also speaking, the Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government, Ogunlade Gbadegesin, expressed disappointment that such an edifice was abandoned.

?So many valuable medical items have been looted, and others are at risk. We will engage security personnel to safeguard what remains until the hospital is finally put into use?, he added. (The Nation)

Update news