The Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch, has demanded an immediate investigation into the death of Mrs. Akudo (Lovelyn) John, who died hours after childbirth at the Gynescope Specialist Hospital in Ikate Elegushi, Lekki.
The call was made at a press briefing on Tuesday by the deceased’s husband, Mr. Justice John, alongside the Lagos NBA Chairman, Mrs. Uchenna Akingbade.
John described his wife’s passing as “sad, painful and completely avoidable,” citing alleged medical negligence and a failed emergency response. He stated that his wife, after a spontaneous vaginal delivery of their 4.2kg baby on December 3, 2025, suffered continuous bleeding and severe pain.
“My wife complained of a heavy flow of liquid internally, but this was dismissed initially as a pile,” John claimed. “Even when internal bleeding was acknowledged, no urgent referral was made, despite a clear 15-hour window between delivery and her death.”
He gave a distressing account of the final hours, alleging a chaotic scene. “At about 3 a.m., she began convulsing. There was no oxygen in the ward and no medical personnel around until I screamed for help,” he said. John also accused the hospital of mishandling the evacuation, claiming his wife fell off a stretcher.
His wife was later pronounced dead on arrival at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital. While the hospital issued a death certificate citing cardiac arrest, an autopsy at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) listed the cause as haemorrhagic shock.
“This burden is heavy, but life is sacred. I will not rest until justice is served,” John vowed.
NBA Chairman, Mrs. Uchenna Akingbade, pledged the association’s full support. “Every citizen of Nigeria has a right to life,” Akingbade stated. “We are here not just because he is our colleague, but because even if this were any Nigerian, it falls within our mandate to speak up.”
She called on the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the Lagos State Government to probe the incident. “Fair hearing is a constitutional right. Let all sides be heard. But justice must be seen and felt to be done,” Akingbade added.
In a telephone interview, the hospital’s proprietor, Prof. Jude Okohue, described the event as “very unfortunate” but denied negligence. He insisted Mrs. John did not die from vaginal bleeding.
“There was no excessive vaginal bleeding. What concerned us was a rising pulse rate and the discovery of black blood in the stool,” Okohue explained. “In 29 years of practice, I have never seen a woman who delivered normally bleeding from the anus.”
He stated the vaginal blood loss was a normal 450 millilitres and that the fatal bleeding was internal. He also denied the patient fell from a stretcher. “I welcomed the autopsy because I wanted to know what really happened. It is unfair to conclude that this was due to negligence,” Okohue said.
The NBA says it will monitor the coroner’s inquest and all official investigations.
