Hospital detained my nephew over N13m bill after LAMATA bus crash – Technician
By Daylight
May 11, 2025
Emmanuel on hospital bed
Sunday Nwafor, an uncle to Emmanuel Nwafor, speaks to GRACE EDEMA about the harrowing experience the family is facing since Emmanuel was hit by a bus belonging to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority
How are you related to Emmanuel Nwafor?
I am the uncle of Emmanuel Anuoluwapo Nwafor. I’m a younger brother to his father. I work as a technician.
Can you narrate the incident that led to your nephew’s hospitalised?
On Sunday, February 16, 2025, around 1 pm, one of Emmanuel’s friends called me and said he and his friends had been looking for him. I asked why, and the friend said his phone wasn’t going through. I asked how long they had been trying to reach him without success, and he said since February 15.
I immediately tried calling Emmanuel’s line, but it wasn’t going through. So, on the 17th, I went to the Area G Police Station to report that he was missing. The Area G Police Station is under the Ogba Police Station.
What did the police say at the station?
After reporting to the police, they advised me to start checking hospitals in case it was an accident. I live around the Ifako area, so I decided to check hospitals there, while another person went toward the Ile-Epo area.
Then, the next morning, on February 18, the person who went to Ile-Epo called and said Emmanuel had been found at Orile Agege General Hospital. My friends and I rushed there immediately. When we got there, we saw him lying down. They had only hung one drip for him. It didn’t look like they were attending to him.
The hospital told us he needed an MRI and a brain test. So, we took him for those tests and returned. It was clear that the hospital could not properly care for him. My nephew couldn’t open his eyes; he was in a coma.
It was around early April that he finally opened his eyes and began to talk after going into a coma on February 18. So, when we transferred him to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, he was taken into the Intensive Care Unit. He remained there, but each day. The hospital informed us that the bill was between N350,000 and N400,000 daily.
Then one day, I received a call from the Elere Police Station. They told me to come to the station. I asked the caller what it was about, and he said it was in connection with a young man who had been hit by a vehicle at Ile-Epo, along the expressway.
When I got there, they asked me if I was related to the young man. I told them I was his uncle. They asked for my nephew’s name, saying they didn’t know his identity because everything on him had been stolen—everything.
I explained that the officials from LAMATA, whose vehicle was involved in the incident, would soon be arriving. We waited, and eventually one of them came. Later, another arrived—his name was Akinyemi. He introduced himself as the Assistant Operations Manager.
We had a discussion, but they made it clear they would not support us; they even said they would deal with us. Since the incident happened, more than a month passed, they have done nothing. The last time we went to the police station, we were told they had dropped the case. By that time, we had already spent nearly N2m.
They only offered N150,000, and we told them that the amount was far too small compared to what we had already spent on the man’s treatment. They made the offer around February. So, since then, they haven’t done anything?
But have LAMATA officials been visiting him at the hospital?
One of their representatives would occasionally come to LASUTH. He would go in, look at the young man, come out, and start sympathising with us. One day, the family and I confronted him. We said, ‘All these visits, what’s the point? We’re not seeing any meaningful support. Don’t you go back to your office to report what’s going on here?’
He claimed he was updating his management, but nothing changed. We just kept managing the situation. Eventually, the driver of the bus who knocked down my nephew, Femi Obadina, I believe, was released by the police. He came to the hospital once with his brother, but since then, we haven’t seen him again.
What other steps did you take when help wasn’t coming from LAMATA?
About a month later, our lawyer was instructed to write LAMATA. We also sent letters to the Lagoa State Governor’s Office, the Commissioner for Health’s office, and other relevant authorities. All the letters were acknowledged.
By the time my nephew was moved out of LASUTH after he regained consciousness and could talk and see again, the hospital bill had already reached over N13m. He was then transferred to the cardiac unit, and the bills there continued to rise every day. Then, just two weeks ago, LAMATA finally responded to our lawyer. They said they could only pay N3m for everything.
The N13m hospital bill I talked about excludes the cost of drugs. You know how it is when it comes to medication. You buy everything yourself. So, we’ve been handling all of that on our own. That’s the stage we are currently at. I have all the documents, the hospital bills, the letters, the photographs of my nephew after the accident, and even pictures of the vehicle involved.
How old is your nephew, and what is his occupation?
He’s 27. He’s currently studying Accounting as a part-time student at Ajayi Crowther University. He completed his OND at Yabatech.
Where did the LAMATA bus hit him?
It happened at Ile-Epo Market, along the expressway. They (LAMATA) offered N3m, and the remaining bill is N10m. They haven’t paid anything yet. We’ve not received a kobo from them.
Are you sure they didn’t pay directly to the hospital?
No, they didn’t. They said they would pay the money directly into my account. Their letter was just delivered to the lawyer this week, and the lawyer responded and submitted a reply the same day. But as of now, we haven’t received any money.
So, why is the hospital still keeping your nephew?
That’s the name I mentioned earlier. The hospital says we owe them, so they won’t release my nephew.
How is his condition now? Is he physically fit? Can he walk, talk properly, eat well, and express himself clearly?
No, he cannot.
Is he still in pain?
Yes, but the doctors are no longer seeing him. They say he has been discharged, but he’s clearly not okay yet. That’s where we’re right now. It feels like we’re in a battle. The doctors know his condition.
Sometimes he talks and talks non-stop. Just a few days ago, they said he was laughing uncontrollably throughout the night. That’s why we believe the trauma has affected his brain. At this point, a psychiatrist or psychologist should have been assigned to him for proper evaluation and care.
When we visited him now, it was emotionally draining. After spending time with him, he would cling to us, saying, ‘I’m going with you. I’m going with you. I won’t stay here again.’ His mind is no longer in that place. He keeps repeating it, ‘I’m going with you’, and we end up having to sneak away. We can’t just leave abruptly; it’s become a very traumatic situation for all of us since February.
But is the hospital feeding him?
Yes, they feed him. We also take food to him—we buy fruits and other things. He can eat rice. He eats well enough now. That’s encouraging. But honestly, they really need to bring in a psychiatrist.
What about his mother?
No, like his father, his mother is late. He’s an orphan and the only child? He lives with me. His mother was Yoruba.
What exactly do you want from LAMATA?
We want them to clear the entire hospital bill. At the very least, they should do that so the young man can be discharged. Right now, it feels like he’s in prison. If this situation leads to depression, then all our efforts would have been in vain.
The doctors even say that if he is taken home, he can recover faster, but that the environment he is in now is not helping his recovery at all. He is confined, unable to move freely, and all he does is peep out of the window. It’s not a suitable place for someone in his condition.
Out of the N13m total bill, LAMATA is now saying it will only pay N3m. Meanwhile, we’ve already spent close to N5m. That still leaves a huge amount unpaid, and they expect us to cover that again? That’s completely unfair.
Do you think it is LAMATA’s responsibility to clear the bill?
The entire cost should be their responsibility. It was their bus, their driver who hit my nephew. They keep endangering the lives of Lagosians.
Since February, I’ve not been able to do anything. No one in the family is working. We’ve been going to the hospital every day, all week long.
So, how were you able to raise the N5m you paid so far?
We borrowed some of it, and a few well-wishers supported us. Some gave N10,000, some N50,000. But we borrowed a large portion, and now those who lent us the money are already demanding repayment. The pressure is building. Punch
