Tears and anger have followed the death of 44-year-old Blessing Okolie after a fibroid operation at a private hospital in Abule Egba, Lagos. Her elder sister, media personality Beady Nnanna, told Punch Newspaper that a pair of surgical scissors was left inside Blessing’s stomach during the procedure.
Blessing died on April 10, 2026, after weeks of pain, swelling, and failed treatment. Nnanna, who runs Beadysworld TV and Beadysworld Blog News, said her sister had suffered from a large fibroid for years. The condition was so severe that people often thought she was pregnant. Nnanna said the fibroid also cost Blessing her marriage. Her husband left because she could not have a child.
In March 2026, Blessing decided to go for surgery to remove the fibroid. She chose a hospital in Igoke Estate, Abule Egba, despite her sister’s concerns. Nnanna told Punch she was uncomfortable from the start. She met the doctor standing outside and felt the hospital did not look like a proper facility. Still, Blessing went ahead with the surgery on March 28, 2026.
Nnanna said trouble started immediately after the operation. Blessing came out of theatre around 11:49 am but was placed on a bench instead of a proper bed. The staff then gave her tea and milk and told her to walk upstairs to the ward, even though she was in pain and had just had surgery.
A few days later, Blessing’s stomach began to swell. By Wednesday, the swelling was worse and she complained of sharp pain. Nnanna said she begged the doctor for a scan, but he refused and accused her of trying to do his job for him. Things got worse when a greenish fluid started coming out through a tube in Blessing’s nose. Yet the hospital still did not order a scan.
Frustrated, Nnanna took her sister to a private lab for a scan. The first lab she visited said they had not done scans in over two years. She finally got it done at Clinix Diagnostic Centre for over N90,000. The result showed a metal object inside Blessing’s abdomen. Nnanna said she cried when she saw the report. When she showed it to the hospital, the staff were silent and looked ashamed.
The hospital carried out a second surgery on April 7 to remove the object. But Blessing did not get better. She remained weak and her condition kept going down. Nnanna asked the hospital to refer her to LASUTH or LUTH, but they refused and insisted she would be fine. One night, the hospital’s generator went off while Blessing was on oxygen. Nnanna said there was no fuel. Angry and scared, she shouted and threatened to burn the place down. She later carried her sister to LASUTH herself, with no medical help on the way.
At LASUTH, doctors tried to save Blessing. She was placed in the ICU. The family spent more than N2 million on treatment, drugs, and tests. But it was too late. Hospital staff called the family early in the morning to say her heart had stopped. She could not be revived.
Nnanna believes her sister would still be alive if the first hospital had done a scan on time. She said by the time they removed the scissors, infection had already damaged Blessing’s organs. The family has reported the matter to the police, but Nnanna said they have not heard back. She wants the Lagos State Government to investigate and shut down the hospital. “My sister is gone, but I don’t want another family to go through this,” she told Punch.
Responding to the claims, Dr. Abiodun Ojifinni, Medical Director of OAR Medical Centre, confirmed to Punch that Blessing had a myomectomy at his facility on March 28, 2026. He said she was fine at first but later developed sepsis, a bacterial infection. He stated that the hospital referred her to LASUTH because the family insisted. He also said they heard she died days after admission.
On the allegation that scissors were left in her body, Dr. Ojifinni said it was wrong to conclude now and that people should wait for the coroner’s inquest. He confirmed that LASUTH has asked for an autopsy and that the real cause of death will come from the pathologist’s report. He added that Blessing was a friend, not just a patient, and the hospital never wanted anything bad to happen to her.
Source: Punch Newspaper
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