ABEOKUTA. A nurse, Taiwo Godwin Ayodeji, has died after a severe asthma attack at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, in Abeokuta, Ogun State. A colleague who was present alleges that the emergency care he received fell short. SaharaReporters first reported the death on 16 October 2026.
What the eyewitness says happened
The eyewitness’s account has not been independently verified. It says:
- Ayodeji, a known asthma patient, began struggling to breathe while playing football.
- He was still able to walk into the emergency unit with a friend.
- He was connected to oxygen, but the witness alleges the oxygen was not switched on: “I noticed he was on oxygen, but the oxygen was not put on.”
- His condition worsened. Staff reportedly struggled to find a vein, and attempts to secure his airway failed.
- He was pronounced dead in the emergency unit.
The source also alleged that he was the second nurse from the same school to die at the facility this year, and called for an investigation. As of publication, neither the hospital management nor the nurses’ union had publicly responded to the allegations.
The questions that need answers
A patient who can walk into an emergency room with an asthma attack is usually expected to survive if treated quickly. Standard emergency care for acute severe asthma is high-flow oxygen, repeated nebulised salbutamol (often with ipratropium), early steroids and, if needed, IV magnesium. Staff also escalate early to airway support. Any investigation should establish:
- Was oxygen actually flowing, and was the cylinder or wall supply working?
- Were a nebuliser, salbutamol and emergency drugs available in the unit?
- Who was on duty, and how quickly was a senior clinician or anaesthetist called?
- Was resuscitation equipment for the airway in place and working?
A specialist psychiatric hospital may not be equipped like a general emergency department. That is exactly why its staff and students need a clear plan for medical emergencies, including fast transfer to a general hospital.
A lesson for every nurse with asthma
- Carry your reliever inhaler at all times, including on the pitch, in the gym and on night shifts.
- Have a written asthma action plan, and make sure a colleague knows it.
- If your reliever is not working within minutes, treat it as an emergency.
- When you bring a colleague into emergency, check that the oxygen is flowing. Look at the flowmeter and listen for the hiss.
Nursing Media Network extends condolences to the family, colleagues and classmates of Taiwo Godwin Ayodeji. We will update this story if the hospital management or NANNM responds. If you have information, contact us at Joshua@nursing-tv.com.
Source: SaharaReporters.