Two Rivers Doctors Granted N2 Million Bail Over Alleged Manslaughter of Graduate

Two doctors in Rivers State have been granted bail of N2 million each by the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, where they are standing trial for alleged manslaughter. Dr. Jude Okpani, a gynecologist, and Dr. Isaiah-Tunde Akinlade, an anesthesiologist, were arraigned on two counts related to manslaughter and negligence following the death of 24-year-old Rebekah Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika.

The Rivers State Ministry of Justice charged the doctors with causing the death of Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika on February 2, 2024, during a medical procedure at a clinic in Port Harcourt. The charge alleges that the doctors failed to administer the required spinal anesthesia, leading to a ruptured uterus and her subsequent death.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Their counsel, C.T. Walter, requested bail, which was not opposed by the prosecution. However, prosecution counsel Christiana Tombari Bodo, Senior State Council in the Ministry of Justice, sought stringent bail conditions due to the sensitivity of the case. The court granted bail, with each defendant required to provide two sureties. The sureties must be the Chairman and Secretary of the Nigeria Medical Association in Rivers State, and their details must be verified by the court. Additionally, the accused must submit two passport photographs to the court.

Justice Jumbo Stephens, who presided over the case, adjourned the matter to January 20 and 27, 2025, for a ‘definite’ hearing. Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika, a first-class graduate of Microbiology from Benson Idahosa University in Benin, was preparing to travel to the United Kingdom for a master’s degree when the tragedy occurred.