A 34-year-old father of three, Adediji Moses, who cried out on social media over the alleged swap of his biological child at birth at the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, following results of tests that showed that the child given to his wife after delivery had the SS genotype, tells FATTEH HAMID how the issue has affected his family
You recently cried out on social media about the possible swap of your child at birth at the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho. Can you narrate what happened?
My name is Adediji Moses, I’m from Ogbomosho, I’m married with three children and I’m 34 years old. I’m the father of Esther Adediji, a child I believe was swapped at birth.
It happened in 2018. My daughter was born on November 15. Before her delivery, we didn’t even realise that my wife was ready to have a child. She said she didn’t feel too well and we decided to take her to the hospital for a checkup. On arrival at the hospital, the medical workers were on strike and we met only a nurse when we got there late in the night. She stated that she could not tend to her and we were referred to Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, Oyo State. When we got there at midnight, they attended to us and my wife had a baby. After the delivery, my grandmother who accompanied us to the hospital told me to go to bed because she was with us. After the delivery, we were told that my baby had jaundice and something in her brain and that without treatment, she would be dull.
What did the medical workers who attended to your wife advise you to do?
With that said, we were asked to stay back at the hospital and we spent up to a month there. In 2021, my wife and I were already in Lagos where we work and my daughter became ill. My grandmother took her to the hospital for treatment and that was what led to us conducting a genotype test. When I was told that she had sickle cell disease. I said it was not possible because my genotype is SC while my wife’s is AA. Later, I took all my children to Ogbomosho and we conducted several tests. Despite all the tests done, she (my daughter) always came back as SS and this became an issue for me. How is that possible? We were also invited as a family and all of us had our test conducted and the results were the same. We also went to Sickle Cell Foundation, Lagos, and we had the test done and it was the same. This last admission was two weeks ago when she became seriously ill which frustrated me so much that despite not being financially strong, despite finding it very difficult to feed myself and my family, I have a child whose care is taking from me almost everything I work for.
What action did you take?
After this thought, I went back to the LAUTECH teaching hospital and complained, and after a lot of back and forth and not believing my words, I was told to go bring my child and wife, adding that they could only confirm my claims by having a test done. They gave us a day to come and my wife and child were present. They took samples from us and when the result came out, it was the same. That was why I raised the alarm in public, appealing to Nigerians to come to my aid. I have been to no fewer than five hospitals to have a genotype test conducted and we continued to have the same result from the tests, not for my child alone but also for me and my wife. My other children had their genotype tests and they confirmed that their genotype is AS.
When you had a new test conducted for your daughter at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, what was the response of the doctors in charge?
When the results came out, they could not say anything. They were all there looking at one another, knowing that it wasn’t meant to be so. That day, the person in charge was perambulating before he gave me the result. I noticed that they were fidgeting and it seemed like they had something to hide. How asked them whether it was possible to have that kind of result, but they could not say anything. When the doctors saw it, they said that they would get in touch with me. They were harsh towards me after the result of the test came out. On the day I went to collect the result of the test, they took it from me and said that they would discuss it with the chief medical director. The next day, when I got there to get the result, probably to take a shot of it for record purposes, the man in charge sent me out of his office, claiming that it was not time for me to be attended to, despite waiting for a long time to see him. After a while, he came out and was walking away and when I looked up, I realised that he was watching the video I made about the issue.
When did you make the video?
I made the video the same day just before I left home but before I got to the hospital, the video had gone viral. When I saw that he didn’t attend to me, I left the hospital.
Can you remember the doctors or nurses who handled the delivery on the day your child was born?
No, I can’t remember those who were on duty on that day but there was someone there that I know who is a ward orderly. She had a child in a school where I used to teach some years back. That was the only person I could.
Were you present at the birth of the child?
I took my wife to the hospital myself but I wasn’t in the labour room where she had the child. I was outside. With all that I’ve seen so far and the information available to me, which is clear, what is certain is that my child was swapped at birth; that is what it means. The money I have spent on the child is so much that I can’t state the exact amount. However, in the last two years, she has taken almost everything I have worked for. I can’t start calculating it, but it has not been easy for me. I was frustrated by the thought that my child may have been swapped at birth. I’m still really frustrated running up and down for her care. This is what I had been running away from before I got married. I did not want to marry a wife whose genotype is not AA. We were all taught and we know which genotypes are compatible and the ones that are not. I did my due diligence when I wanted to get married.
What do you expect the management of the hospital to do to resolve the issue?
What I want from them is to investigate to know what happened and how I had a daughter with the SS genotype when my wife and I have the AA and SC genotypes, respectively. I also want them to find out the doctors in charge on the night my wife delivered a baby and those who were responsible for swapping my baby. I also want the Oyo State Government to intervene in the issue because the hospital is owned by the state government. I want them to also help me. They should ensure that the investigation is quickly done to find out who was responsible for swapping my child.
Do you want the sick child returned to her biological mother and yours returned to you if your allegation turns out to be true?
She is a child that I love so much and she loves me as well. It is not that I want to return the child or something, what I am pleading is for her to be appropriately taken care of. However, when they find out where my original child is, it will be good for me to at least know where the child is and I’ll rest. I beg the government to come to my aid because it is not easy to have two sickle cell patients in a family; despite being a sickle cell patient myself, as the husband of the house, I have to also provide for the family. So, it has not been easy for me.
Yes, I want them to find my biological child. I’m not saying that they should give me the child because if I am told to take my biological child and return the sick child I have with me, it would affect the two children psychologically because they have grown up and adapted to some parents already. It can affect the children who know nothing about the crime that was committed. They are innocent and can’t be allowed to go through this mental and psychological stress. I don’t want to return the baby, I just want to be helped to care for her and also know who committed such a crime and ensure they do not repeat it some other time.
What measures do you think should be taken against those found culpable?
I don’t want the doctors’ licences seized or they declared unfit to practice because that would be a lot of punishment. I don’t want that to happen to anyone because we all offend God and He forgives us. So, who are we as humans not to offend God? They also have children and family to feed. If their licences are seized, what will their family feed on? Yes, they should be punished but taking their licences will be too much. The only thing I care about now is knowing where my biological child is and for the crime not to repeat itself.
All that I want is for Nigerians and the public to help me turn this child into a successful person who will be known far and wide for good because she is a child that God has given intelligence. She is five years old and serious about education. Sickness is something that weighs one down and she won’t be able to go to school to take exams when she is weighed down by sickness. That also affected my education. I need help to take care of her. I do not have the financial capacity to take care of her. I also appreciate those who have shown support so far and I hope that a solution will be gotten as soon as possible. I strongly believe that God has a plan and that is why this has happened to me, but I want to know those who orchestrated this evil against my family by swapping my biological child at birth.
Have you faced any threats while trying to get justice?
Recently, I approached a radio station in Ibadan, Agidigbo FM, where I also explained what I was going through. After that, I’ve been trying to fend for my family and care for my girl because all my work is practically to take care of her and her medical bills. So, it was in the morning when I started noticing a funny movement. I took my bike out and was going to start working when I saw two men near my house but they didn’t look like they wanted to take a bike. I left for work and came back home in the evening. After staying at home for a while, I wanted to go and see someone and by the time I was back, I saw the two men by the side of my bike; there was a Toyota Camry car with the door opened there also. I asked them to please adjust and that I wanted to take my bike but instead, they approached me as if they wanted to talk to me but they placed a gun by my side and asked me to enter inside the car. I entered the car and they used handkerchiefs to cover my face, so I didn’t know where I was driven to. They drove for about 20 to 30 minutes before they stopped. One of them got down and made calls and they said a lot of things to me.
What did they tell you?
The major thing they told me was that innocent people would be affected if I continued to take any step in unravelling what was behind my daughter’s case at the LAUTECH teaching hospital. I started begging them and telling them that I wasn’t going to drag any case but that I wanted my daughter and wife to live a good life and be well-taken care of. They spoke to someone via calls again and concluded that they would release me. They warned me that they were watching me and if I took any step again, they would find me. Around some minutes after 10 pm, they carried me again and returned me to Orita Nira where they picked me up.
What do you want now?
Honestly, I don’t want to pursue any case, especially with what just happened to me. The only thing that I want is to be able to fend for my family and help them while ensuring that they are in good health. My wife and I are jobless and I only ride okada to survive. If they help me, I would be able to fend for the family without worrying about taking care of my daughter’s health. My parents also took care of me and that was how I survived. I believe that she can also be taken care of.
Editor’s note: When our correspondent contacted the spokesperson for the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Omotayo Ogunleye, on August 22, 2023, he said investigations were ongoing to unravel the mystery behind Adeniji’s case.
However, when he was subsequently contacted for an update on December 21, 2023, he told our correspondent that the case had been transferred to the Ministry of Health, Oyo State.
