Port Harcourt Doctors Get Bail Amid Manslaughter Trial
The Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has granted bail of N2 million to two doctors who are standing trial for alleged manslaughter.
The doctors, Dr Jude Okpani, a gynaecologist (1st defendant), and Dr Isaiah-Tunde Akinlade, an anesthesiologist (2nd defendant), were arraigned by the Rivers State Government through the Ministry of Justice on two counts related to manslaughter and negligence.
According to the charges, the doctors are accused of causing the death of Rebekah Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika on February 2, 2024, at a clinic in Port Harcourt.
This alleged offence is contrary to Section 325 of the Criminal Code of Rivers State 1999.
It is also claimed that the doctors failed to administer the necessary dose of local spinal anaesthesia to Rebekah Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika, which resulted in her rupturing her uterus during a medical procedure, ultimately leading to her death.
When the charges were read in court, both doctors pleaded not guilty.
Their attorney, C.T. Walter, applied for bail, a request that was not opposed by the prosecution counsel, Christiana Tombari Bodo, a Senior State Council in the Ministry of Justice.
However, Bodo requested stringent bail conditions due to the sensitive nature of the case.
The trial judge, Justice Jumbo Stephens, after hearing both sides, granted bail to the two doctors in the amount of N1 million each.
Additionally, they must provide two sureties who must be the Chairman and Secretary of the Nigeria Medical Association, Rivers State Chapter.
The sureties are required to submit two passport photographs and have their addresses verified by a court official, along with photocopies of either a valid driver’s license, passport, or voter card to be deposited in court.
Justice Stephens stated that the defendants must also deposit two copies of their passport photographs with the registrar of the court. The judge then adjourned the case to January 20 and 27, 2025, for a definitive hearing.
It is noteworthy that Miss Rebekah Tamunotorukubu-Sekidika, who was 24 years old at the time of her death, was a first-class graduate in Microbiology from Benson Idahosa University in Benin, Edo State, and was preparing for a trip to the United Kingdom for a master’s degree when the incident occurred.
