The father of the 24-year-old girl and a staff member of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, Sampson Sekidika, while speaking to PUNCH Metro, alleged that his daughter died due to the negligence and incompetence of the medical workers who carried out the procedure on her at the Paragon Clinics and Image Diagnosis in Port Harcourt on February 2, 2024.
While lamenting that the deceased had already gained admission to begin a MSc Programme in the United Kingdom and was billed to travel a few days away before the unfortunate development that claimed her life and demanded justice.
The distraught father stated, “The complaint was that she had not seen her period for a while. So she needed to why. When she had the clinical visit, they subjected her to some test, including pregnancy tests, which came out all negative.
“But they told her to see a specialist to be sure. On the day of the appointment, they took her into the theatre and gave her an anaesthetic for a simple procedure that didn’t require surgery where she developed complications and died.
“She (Rebekah) was supposed to travel to the United Kingdom for her Masters and PhD programmes. Everything was set, flight booked, tuition paid, all arrangements made.”
Sekidika, however, told our correspondent at the weekend that an autopsy had been performed on their late daughter’s corpse, saying while they await the result, they have received approval from the police to bury her remains.
He stated, “Autopsy has been performed on Thursday, and samples sent to two independent medical centres for the toxicology test. Full reports will be made available in not more than a month’s time when all the results are available.
“I applied to the Deputy Commissioner of Police at the State Criminal and Investigation Department for release of the corpse to us the family for burial. The police have granted me permission to bury.
“Burial has been slated for the 2nd of March, 2024, at the Vaults and Gardens Cemetery, Port Harcourt.”
Sekidika insisted that even after Rebekah’s body is interred, he will pursue the matter to ensure that those found culpable for her death are apprehended, punished, and other appropriate steps taken to get justice for her.
