On Tuesday, a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt awarded two doctors on trial for manslaughter N2 million in bail.
The Rivers State Government, acting through the Ministry of Justice, charged the doctors, Dr. Jude Okpani, a gynecologist, as the first defendant, and Dr. Isiah-Tunde Akinlade, an anesthetist, as the second defendant, with homicide and negligence.
The two doctors are accused of violating section 325 of the 1999 Rivers State Criminal Code by allegedly causing the death of Rebekah Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika on February 2, 2024, at a Port Harcourt clinic.
Rebekah Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika died as a result of a surgical treatment in which the accused allegedly failed to provide her the necessary dosage of local spinal anesthesia, causing her uterus to rupture carelessly.
Read Also: Kukah Backs Tinubu’s Tax Policies, Cites Key Reasons
The doctors entered a not guilty plea after being told the allegations in court.
When their attorney, C.T. Walter, requested bail verbally, the prosecution’s attorney, Christiana Tombari Bodo, a Senior State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice, did not object, but she asked the court to impose strict conditions because of the delicate nature of the case.
Justice Jumbo Stephens, the trial judge, granted the two accused N1 million bail each after hearing arguments from the defense and prosecution. The two sureties must be the chairman and secretary of the Nigeria Medical Association’s Rivers State chapter.
Additionally, the sureties were ordered by Justice Stephens to submit two passport photos, with their addresses confirmed by a court officer. It is also necessary to deposit photocopies of a valid driver’s license, international passport, or voter’s card in court.
According to Justice Stephens, the first and second defendants, who were just granted bail, must also deposit two copies of their passport photos with the court’s registrar. The terms of bail are as follows:
The case was then postponed by Justice Stephens to January 20 and 27, 2025, for a “definite” hearing.
According to our reporter, Miss Rebekah Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika, who was 24 years old at the time and a first-class Microbiology graduate from Benson Idahosa University in Benin, Edo State, was getting ready to travel to the UK to complete a master’s degree when the incident happened.
