The family of a deceased 26-year-old man has accused the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) of insensitivity after allegedly demanding N1.9 million for the release of his corpse, despite claims that all medical bills had been fully paid.
In a viral TikTok video shared on Tuesday by the deceased’s sister, identified by the handle @bigtohyor01, the family was seen at the hospital protesting the additional charges, claiming they had settled all medical expenses incurred during the man’s 15-day stay in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
According to her, the family had already paid over N7 million covering ICU charges, daily bed fees, and medication costs. However, they were shocked when the hospital allegedly demanded an additional N1.9 million before the release of the body.
“My father is in pain. He lost his 26-year-old son and now they are demanding N1.9 million to release his corpse,” she said emotionally in the video. “We paid for bed space and medication daily. We paid in full. He stayed in the ICU for 15 days. You collected over N7 million. Now he is dead, and yet you are still demanding more.”
She further accused LUTH of negligence and questioned the circumstances surrounding her brother’s death. According to her, the young man was conscious and talking before he was transferred to LUTH from another facility, Masha Hospital. However, she alleged that he never regained consciousness throughout his stay at LUTH.
“Since he came here, for 15 days he neither opened his eyes nor talked,” she claimed. “We brought milk and other supplies, but the hospital staff were the ones using them.”
The grieving sister also challenged the hospital’s explanation for the additional N1.9 million bill, claiming the hospital claimed to have administered drugs of that value without informing the family—despite them purchasing daily medications worth N46,000 themselves.
“We were never told. So, which drugs did you buy for N1.9 million?” she queried.
In the video, other family members were seen confronting hospital staff. A police officer reportedly attached to the hospital was also captured allegedly threatening to shoot the protesting relatives.
As of the time of filing this report, LUTH has not released an official statement in response to the allegations.
