3rd February, 2011
It was joy yesterday at Ketu Bus Stop, Lagos, South West Nigeria when a staff of Guarantee Trust Bank Plc, Mrs. Funke Abimbola gave birth to a baby boy inside a BRT bus.
The woman, according to eye witness gave birth around 5.00 p.m. and was rushed to a nearby clinic, Folu Clinic and Maternity Home at Ile Bus stop by the BRT driver, Mr. Ifeanyi Agbadugo and some good Samaritans inside the bus.
The BRT is in the fleet of the Lagbus Asset Management Limited.
A large crowd was witnessed at Ketu bus stop who wanted to catch a glimpse of the woman who gave birth inside the bus, while shout of praises to God rent the air.
An eye witness, Mr. Godwin Ikpeakhai told P.M.NEWS that the woman gave birth in his presence. He said the crowd gathered around the bus when news spread that a woman had given birth to a baby inside the bus.
According to the driver of the bus, Agbadugo, the woman bought the bus fare ticket at Oshodi bus stop en route to Ikorodu and on getting to Ojota, the pains of labour gripped her.
“She got up from her seat and felt a sharp pain. There was chaos inside the bus and people started praying for her. On getting under the bridge between Ojota and Ketu, some women helped her to lie on the floor of the bus and she delivered at Ketu bus stop. The labour took just between five and 10 minutes.
“Her placenta was removed in front of the Folu Clinic by the nurses in the clinic,†he explained, saying that the way the whole thing happened was an act of God.
When P.M.NEWS got to the clinic, a woman was seen carrying the baby while her mother was lying on a bed. She was not strong enough to get up. Some of the women inside the bus went with her to the clinic.
Narrating her story, Abimbola, 27, who hails from Ogun State, said she works with GTB branch in Mushin and lives at 25, Oluwanishola Oladayo Street, Agbede, Ikorodu, saying that she was coming from work when the incident happened.
According to her, she had left office very early as she felt ill at ease and decided to make the journey to Ikorodu where she would then go to the hospital, adding that she never expected that she would give birth inside a bus.
“Normally, I donâ€
Husband to the banker, Mr. Olumide Abimbola rushed to the clinic from an assignment on hearing that his wife had given birth to a baby inside a bus.
He said that he felt so elated, while he was seen calling friends to break the good news to them.
Olumide, a Marine Engineer with Magnum International, an oil and gas company, said where his wife gave birth was not too important as his wife and the baby were okay and thanked God for the miracle.
Owner of the clinic, Dr. Tunde Babalola, said the clinic was fully prepared for such emergency cases.
He said that since the clinic was close to Ikorodu Expressway, there had been several emergency cases referred to the clinic which were always taken care of.
On the possibility of the baby being infected with a virus since he was born inside a bus, Babalola stated that the baby and her mother had been given some vaccines to prevent infection.
Saying he had been a doctor since 1976, Babalola disclosed that the clinic had been in existence since 1981 in the present location.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga