Investigation into death of Abiriba farm employee Joseph Urum nears conclusion as parties tell their stories

As investigation into the death of one Joseph Urum, an employee of Do Good Farms, Abiriba, Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia state gradually reaches its conclusive stage, parties mentioned in the case from the onset as being complicit are now telling their stories as some have been vindicated with the recent autopsy carried out by certified Doctors at the Federal Medical Centre FMC Umuahia, reportedly revealing that the Kidney of the deceased is intact.

Recall that one of the allegations that trailed the case from the onset was that of organ harvesting. However, medical examinations recently conducted vis-à-vis Autopsy and result announced have reportedly put that claim to rest as his kidneys have been discovered to be intact.

During the course of investigating the matter, Dailytrailnews travelled all the way to Imo state in a bid to speak with the Medical Doctor who attended to the deceased before he died, Dr. Alexander Ohanyere; the Proprietor of Evergreen Hospital & Maternity, Onicha Ezinihitte Mbaise, Imo State, where the deceased died. Our reporter met him and he told his story.

Dr Alexander Ohanyere tells his story: I tried my best to save him, about three litres of pus were extracted from his abdomen

“I tried to give him the best services; I took some desperate measures to save him but, unfortunately they didn’t work”.

He explained that the patient was rushed to his hospital around 1:00am on the said date (February 26th) as an emergency case, and he tried to stabilize him before he would be wheeled into the theater for surgery but regretted that he died while efforts were still on to stabilize him.

“I got a call from a patient I had treated before, saying they had an emergency situation. So, when they came, it was already a contaminated case. I told them that the patient can’t go to the theatre due to his condition. He lacked blood, and the scan result he came with showed the intestines were perforated.

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The Doctor further stated “He also had low blood pressure. We needed to stabilize him first before any surgery could be conducted on him. After some times the kidneys stopped working.

“As we kept making efforts to revive him, I noticed massive water in his abdomen. Then the quick intervention was to drain the massive water in his abdomen. I was amazed to see pus in his abdomen.

“For the abdomen to be that rotten, it means it had been bad for some weeks.

So, I removed about 10 milligram of fluid and he reacted positively to show he had relief. Then I brought a bucket and removed about three litres of pus from his abdomen.”
Responding to a question, the Family Physician who read at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, said ruptured appendicitis, low immunity, among others, could possibly cause such situation.

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Asked if he conducted any surgery on the organs of the deceased as being rumoured, Dr Ohanyere answered to the contrary, saying he did not go beyond “extracting the mass fluid in his abdomen”.

Dr Ohanyere said anyone in doubt of what happened should call for autopsy.

Meanwhile, an earlier visit by Dailytrailnews to Abiriba General Hospital, where the late Joseph was first taken to, the Resident Doctor on duty on that day; Dr Joshua Okereke, said he noticed the seriousness of the matter and referred him immediately to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Umuahia where the facilities to handle him were available.

According to him, the patient manifested symptoms of acute abdomen which required surgical emergency within 24 hours, hence his decision to refer him to a tertiary hospital for adequate attention.

“We don’t have the facility to handle him here. So, within 20 minutes, I had referred him to the FMC that has everything needed to manage his situation.

“Acute abdomen means something is wrong inside the abdominal cavity. It could be intestinal obstruction or a hole, or ulcer that has eaten the stomach. The sickness was not like something that came suddenly. Looking at him you will see he has been sick.”

Dr Okereke wondered why he (doctor) had to be subjected to police interrogation, having referred the deceased to a higher hospital without delays.

Still in the course of carrying out an unbiased investigation, dailytrailnews embarked on a painstaking journey to the paramount traditional ruler of Abiriba ancient kingdom, HRM Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu (Enachoken Abiriba IV).

On the rumour that some youths are threatening that the deceased would be buried on the farm, an action considered as a ploy to take over the farm from the owner, Enachoken there was no basis for such thinking.

The revered Monarch while speaking to Dailytrailnews maintained that in the whole, all he wants is peace and justice for both the deceased and the owner of the multi-million piggery farm.

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Farm employees speak

Dilytrailnews investigative train took her reporter to Do Good Farm, located along the road at Abiriba. The manager of the Farm Dickson George who said Mr. Urum had died before his resumption as the manager of the Farm, added that the sad incident happened the week he came for inspection of the farm before he resumed his duty. He however spoke on the brief he got about the matter upon resumption.

Other staff of the farm narrated how some of the workers now in detention assisted in rushing the deceased to the hospital when he complained of stomach ache, expressing shock that anybody could come up with murder allegation.

Also Nnanna Urum Ukaegbu, who said the deceased was a member of their extended family, and present when Dailytrailnews visited, narrated how their sister based in the US established the farm to assist the family adding that it sounded strange for anyone to allege murder after frantic efforts were made by the arrested co-workers to save the life of the deceased.

He said upon inquiries from other family member who work in the farm, he was told the deceased usually complained of loss of appetite, and would avoid his meals and rather take ‘tea’ in lieu of solid food.

He said it sounded strange for anyone to allege murder after frantic efforts were made by the arrested co-workers to save the life of the deceased.

Below is a combined voice insert of the Farm Manager Dickson George and Nnanna Urum Ukaegbu:

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Earlier, the mother of the deceased, Mrs Jane Agwu Nmaju (nee Urum); his elder sister, Mrs Nne Ejituru; and younger sister, Mrs Ruth Uchechukwu, demanded justice for the late Joseph.

The trio who spoke with newsmen in Umuahia, raised suspicion over the circumstances surrounding Joseph’s death, and demanded explanations from those who took him to hospital as they demanded for autopsy. With the result of the autopsy having put to rest the issue of organ harvesting as the organs are said to be intact, other issues raised by the family might still be pending waiting for official outcome from the police.

The FMC angle

On why the deceased was rather taken to a clinic at Mbaise in Imo State instead of FMC Umuahia, a tertiary hospital where he was referred to by the doctor at Abiriba general hospital, it was said that he was allegedly told at FMC “to come back in the morning due to lack of space.”

Some of the co-workers who were accused of being complicit in Joseph’s death and were as a result detained and have remained in detention since then, who were said to have lifted the sick Joseph from the farm to different hospitals where he was allegedly rejected were quoted to have said that they got to FMC but were not attended to and in their desperation to save his life, decided to go to Mbaise hospital based on recommendation from a friend whom the doctor had once treated while practicing in Enugu.

They were said to have been told at the emergency unit to return in the morning because “there was no space.”
The source said that in their desperation to save Joseph who was not admitted at FMC, somebody suggested that they should contact the doctor at Mbaise who treated him some years ago at Enugu.

When contacted for a response, the Public Relations Officer, PRO, of FMC Umuahia, Chief Darlington Madubuko, said the Management of the hospital would investigate the claims.

The PRO explained that sometimes if there were no bed space to admit a patient brought at odd hour at the emergency unit, the patient could be asked to come when there would be space.

Asked why a patient brought under emergency should be turned back for lack of bed space, the PRO said that the policy was adopted due to blackmail as people were posting on the social media, images of patients being attended to on the floor.
He explained that the hospital is usually overcrowded due to high patronage by patients from neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Imo and Rivers States.

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The PRO, however, said that the current management of the hospital was making spirited efforts to address the challenge of infrastructure, hinting that the new emergency building it embarked on would soon be ready.

As all sides await official outcomes on this matter, it is expected that justice will be sought and achieved for all aggrieved parties.