Nigeria Prisons Speaks On Jail Term Of Woman Who Died After Delivering Twins In Cross River

The prison term of a woman, who delivered a boy and girl while serving time at the Afokang Prison in Calabar, Cross River State capital, has been revoked.

The inmate had delivered twins on April 17, 2019 but died on April 19, 2019 due to postnatal complications.

It was gathered that the deceased died at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) after a combined effort to save her life by the prison authority, the Cross River Government and medical personnel in the General Hospital, Calabar.

The Nigeria Prisons Service Public Relations Officer, ASP Effanga Etim said that with the intervention of the Cross River Commissioner for Health and the Prison authorities to provide the funds needed for the Caesarean Session, the said inmate was delivered of twins: a boy and a girl.

“However, due to complications arising from the Caesarean Session, she was referred to UCTH for further management, where she died on 19th April, 2019.”

The PRO told correspondent on phone Saturday night that the sentence term of the deceased has now been revoked, “No child suffers the sins of the mother or father, in as much as the woman is dead, nature is the final death sentence, the children cannot suffer their mother’s challenge and the sentence is revoked.

“Nobody is going to carry the cross of the deceased, the deceased was in Prison’s custody and the children born were innocent and government would take care of them in collaboration with the Nigerian Prisons Service.”

The Prison’s authority said “The command wishes to state emphatically that for the past four years, there has not been any delivery in the Calabar prison infirmary.”

Findings by our correspondent revealed that deceased was remanded by a High Court in Calabar on November 5, 2018 with six month-old pregnancy for the offence of child stealing.

While in prison, she had been under regular ante-natal care at the General Hospital, Calabar. On 17th of April, 2019 by 1:30pm she was in labour and was admitted in the same hospital and a Caesarean Session was carried out on her but she developed complications which caused the management of the hospital to refer her to UCTH where she died.