A mother of five, Aishatu Umar, has died in Kano State in what relatives describe as a disturbing case of medical negligence at a government-run facility, the Abubakar Imam Urology Centre.
Aishatu reportedly battled unbearable stomach pain for four months following a surgical operation performed at the hospital in September 2025.
Her family claimed that repeated complaints to the facility yielded little more than pain medication, with no effort made to identify the cause of her deteriorating condition.
Speaking on behalf of the family, a relative, Abubakar Mohammed, alleged that scans conducted last week finally revealed that a surgical pair of scissors had been left inside her abdomen after the procedure.
He said another operation was scheduled to remove the foreign object, but she died before it could take place.
“It was only after several months of going back and forth that a scan was done.
“That was when they found scissors inside her body,” Mohammed said, calling the incident “unacceptable and reckless.”
He urged the state government and regulatory bodies to hold those responsible accountable, insisting that the case must not be ignored.
The Kano State Hospitals Management Board confirmed that it had launched a full-scale investigation into the claims.
The Executive Secretary, Dr Mansur Mudi Nagoda, speaking through the board’s spokesperson, Samira Suleiman, assured that the probe would be thorough, transparent, and fair.
The board pledged that appropriate disciplinary action would follow if negligence is confirmed, adding that the safety of patients remains its priority.
The development has triggered fresh concerns about hospital safety and accountability, with many residents demanding better standards of care in public health facilities.