Two doctors on trial in Lagos for patient’s death

The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has commenced the trial of two doctors, Dr. Michael Atiba and Dr. Michael Ugbeye, over the death of a patient, Ejiro Ugorobi. Presided over by Justice Oyindamola Ogala, the doctors are charged with involuntary manslaughter. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.

The Lagos State Government filed charges against the two doctors on March 25, 2024, accusing them of being responsible for the death of Ugorobi during a medical procedure on October 21, 2023, at Michael Adekoya Street in Ilupeju, Lagos. Dr. Atiba, from Gbagada General Hospital, and Dr. Ugbeye, a consultant at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, are facing charges under Section 224 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.

During the trial, the first witness, Nkechi Ugorobi, mother of the deceased, recounted the events leading to her son’s death. She explained that her son, Ejiro, a 29-year-old electrical engineer, injured his leg while playing football on September 9, 2023, and sought medical attention from Dr. Ugbeye at Morningside Specialist Hospital, where further tests confirmed a torn ligament.

Mrs. Ugorobi stated that her son was working from home during his recovery and initially showed signs of improvement, though he continued to experience pain and difficulty walking.

“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,” she said.

“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. 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 called me that he had to run some tests. The test confirmed that he had a torn ligament.”

She described how her son’s condition initially improved while working from home but later worsened.

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She added that Ejiro decided to undergo a non-invasive surgery on October 21, 2023, which was conducted by the doctors. Although he initially reported that the surgery was successful, he soon began experiencing discomfort, including nausea, fluctuating body temperature, and weakness.

Shortly after these symptoms appeared, he passed away.

She said, “In October, he told me that he wanted to go and do an MRI. I told him that if the MRI was necessary, he should come so I could take him to some of those locals to massage his leg, and you’d be fine. But he said no. He told me he was going to have surgery, a non-invasive type of surgery. I’m quoting him.

“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.”

Justice Oyindamola Ogala adjourned the case to November 20, 2024, for the trial and cross-examination of the prosecution’s second witness.