A 44-year-old Lagos woman has died following fibroid surgery at a private hospital in the Abule Egba area, with her family alleging that gross medical negligence — including the alleged abandonment of a metallic object inside her abdomen — led directly to her death.

The deceased, identified as Blessing Okolie, had reportedly suffered from a severe fibroid condition for years, one so advanced that it caused her abdomen to appear distended. Determined to reclaim her health and salvage her marriage, she opted for surgery at a privately recommended facility on March 28, 2026, despite reservations her family held about the hospital’s standards.

In the days that followed, her condition deteriorated rapidly. Her sister recounted that Blessing began complaining of intense pain and noticed her stomach swelling abnormally, yet repeated pleas for a diagnostic scan were reportedly dismissed by the attending doctors, who continually assured the family that nothing was wrong.

It was only after the family procured an independent scan at an external laboratory that the alleged truth emerged — a metallic object had reportedly been left inside the patient’s abdomen following the initial procedure. A second surgery was subsequently conducted to retrieve the foreign object, but Blessing’s condition showed no signs of improvement.

“She was still very weak… I begged them to refer us, but they kept saying she would be fine,” her sister said. Desperate for better care, the family eventually transported Blessing to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where she died despite the best efforts of medical staff.

The hospital’s medical director, however, offered a different account, attributing the patient’s death to post-surgical sepsis and cautioning the public against drawing conclusions before the completion of a coroner’s inquest. “There are half-truths and falsehoods… we should wait for the coroner’s inquest,” he stated.

The case has been formally reported to the relevant authorities, and an inquest is currently underway to establish the definitive cause of death.