Panic as 42-year-old man goes missing from Lagos hospital
Family Seeks Public Help to Locate Missing Man from Gbagada Hospital
The family of 42-year-old Kehinde Albert has made a public appeal for assistance in finding him after he was reported missing from the General Hospital in Gbagada, Lagos.
Kehinde was last seen on February 27 at the facility, where he had been undergoing medical evaluations ahead of a rehabilitation program for alcoholism. His elder brother, Olatunde Albert, stated that Kehinde has battled alcohol addiction for several years and had been taken to the hospital on February 26 for preliminary medical tests, accompanied by his twin brother.
According to Olatunde, Kehinde experienced seizures and convulsions while at the hospital, leading to his immediate admission for treatment. After receiving medical attention, he stabilized. Olatunde explained that he briefly left the hospital the following day to obtain prescribed medication, leaving Kehinde in the care of his twin brother. Concern arose when Olatunde encountered his twin brother outside the hospital that evening.
“When I asked why he left Kehinde at the hospital, he told me hospital staff had asked them to leave,” Olatunde said. However, hospital officials provided a different perspective, asserting that Kehinde and his twin brother had attempted to leave the facility multiple times. The hospital reported that Kehinde ultimately exited the premises while staff were occupied with their duties.
Since that day, the family has undertaken extensive searches without success. “We have been looking for him everywhere since that day. We have already lost our mother, and we are pleading with the public to help us find him,” Olatunde added.
Dr. Olusegun Babafemi, Medical Director of the hospital, confirmed that Kehinde had initially visited for tests but nearly collapsed in the laboratory and was subsequently rushed to the emergency unit for stabilization. Babafemi stated that the twin brother later insisted on leaving the hospital, despite medical staff advising that further assessments, including evaluations by a cardiologist and psychiatrist, were necessary.
The hospital advised the brothers that they could leave once they completed the discharge process. “Once a patient is discharged, the hospital is no longer responsible for the individual unless admitted to a ward,” Babafemi explained. He noted that the hospital had circulated Kehinde’s photograph internally and recommended that the family search locations familiar to him, suggesting that he may have sought refuge in a known area.
