Tragedy has struck Kano State with the death of a mother of five, Aishatu Umar, after a pair of scissors was allegedly left inside her abdomen during a surgical procedure at the Abubakar Imam Urology Centre, a government-owned health facility in the state.
Umar reportedly died on Sunday while undergoing a corrective procedure to remove the scissors, which were said to have been forgotten in her body during an earlier surgery at the same hospital.
What was expected to be a routine medical procedure reportedly turned into months of pain and suffering, eventually claiming her life and leaving her family devastated.
The incident has sparked public outrage over rising cases of medical negligence and renewed calls for urgent reforms within Nigeria’s healthcare system to prevent avoidable deaths.
The tragedy comes amid growing public attention on medical negligence following the recent death of Nnamdi Nkanu, the 21-month-old son of renowned author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose parents alleged negligence in the circumstances surrounding his death in a Lagos hospital.
Speaking on the Kano incident, Abubakar Mohammed, a relative of the deceased, said Aishatu Umar endured months of severe abdominal pain after undergoing surgery at the hospital in September 2025.
“She complained of severe abdominal pain for months after the surgery,” Mohammed said. “Each time she returned to the hospital, she was given painkillers. It was only two days ago that scans were carried out, and that was when doctors discovered that scissors had been forgotten inside her body.”
According to him, plans were made for another surgery, but she passed away before it could be carried out.
Reacting to the incident, the Kano State Hospitals Management Board said it had ordered an immediate investigation into the alleged negligence.
The board’s Executive Secretary, Dr Mansur Mudi Nagoda, said the probe would be transparent and professional, adding that appropriate action would be taken if negligence is established. The board also expressed condolences to the family and reiterated its commitment to patient safety in Kano State.
