The Kogi State House of Assembly has resolved to investigate the reported unavailability of medical oxygen at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, following the death of an indigene, Engineer Hassan Musa.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the Member representing Ankpa 1 State Constituency, Hon. Lawal Akus, during Wednesday’s plenary.
Presenting the motion, Akus expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the death of Engr. Musa, who reportedly died on Monday, November 2, 2026, following alleged failure to provide him with essential emergency medical support at the hospital.
According to the lawmaker, the deceased was admitted to the hospital’s Emergency Unit on Sunday, November 1, 2026, due to difficulty in breathing and was subsequently transferred to the Intensive Care Unit later that night.
He alleged that upon his transfer to the ICU, medical oxygen, which was required to support his breathing, was unavailable, leaving him in distress throughout the night.
Akus further stated that the deceased’s family reportedly made efforts to secure oxygen from a private supplier in the Felele area of Lokoja but could not obtain it before his condition deteriorated, leading to his death the following morning.
The lawmaker described the alleged unavailability of oxygen in a critical care unit as a serious concern that raises questions about the hospital’s emergency preparedness, management of essential medical supplies and standard of patient care.
He stressed that the provision of life-saving facilities such as medical oxygen should be a basic requirement in government-owned hospitals, particularly in view of budgetary allocations and internally generated revenue available to the institution.
Seconding the motion, the Member representing Lokoja 1 State Constituency, Hon. Bin Ebaiya Shehu-Tijani, described the situation in the hospital as unsatisfactory, calling for a thorough investigation to establish what transpired and ensure that the matter was not swept under the carpet.
He recalled an incident earlier in the year when he and Hon. Jibril Abu witnessed an accident involving several injured persons who were reportedly denied admission due to a lack of bed space until the intervention of the hospital’s Chief Medical Director.
In his contribution, the Member representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, Hon. Jibril Abu, said medical oxygen was an essential life-saving facility that should not be unavailable in a specialist hospital.
He called for a comprehensive investigation to establish the facts surrounding the incidents and identify measures to improve healthcare delivery at the facility.
Ruling on the motion, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf, described the reported incident as unfortunate, expressing concern over alleged negligence and the failure to provide essential medical facilities for citizens.
The Speaker said the House would not take the matter lightly, adding that the investigation would establish whether the death resulted from negligence or the unavailability of oxygen and other necessary medical facilities.
He directed that the investigation should be extended to other reported cases of poor emergency response at the hospital.
The House subsequently resolved to summon the Chief Medical Director of Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, and the Commissioner for Health before the Standing Committee on Health and Social Services to explain the circumstances surrounding the death of Engr. Hassan Musa.
The committee is also expected to investigate the hospital’s procurement, supply, storage, distribution and inventory management of medical oxygen and other essential medical consumables.
KOGI STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, LOKOJA MATTER OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE MOTION ON THE NEED TO INVESTIGATE THE REPORTED UNAVAILABILITY OF OXYGEN AT THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OF KOGI STATE SPECIALIST HOSPITAL, LOKOJA, RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF ENGR. HASSAN MUSA
The Rt. Honourable Speaker and my Distinguished Honourable Colleagues, I rise to move this motion on the preventable death of Engr. Hassan Musa due to unavailability of oxygen at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja. WHEREAS, the primary responsibility of the Legislature, beyond its core functions of lawmaking and oversight, includes the protection of the rights, welfare and fundamental Interests of the citizens, particularly their right to access basic and essential healthcare services in government-owned health institutions: WHEREAS, access to essential medical facilities and life-saving interventions, such as the provision of oxygen to citizens in govemmerit hospitals, constitutes a fundamental requirement for effective emergency and ontical healthcare delivery in public hospitals: WHEREAS the provision of such essential medical services should be the barest minimum expected of government-owned hospitals, particularly in view of the annual budgetary appropriations spproved by this Honourable House for Kogi Stato Specialist Hospital Lokoja, as well as intermally generated revenue of the Specialist Hospital, WHEREAS this Honourable House is deeply concerned about the reported circumstances surrounding the death of one of my constituents, Engr. Hassan Musa, who reportedly lost his life on Monday, 2nd November 2026, following an alleged failure to provide him with the necessary emergency medical support at Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja WHEREAS Engr. Hassan Musa was reportedly admitted to the Emergency Unit of the hospital on Sunday, 1st November 2026, on account of difficulty in breathing, and was subsequently transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICL) that some night for further medical attention: WHEREAS it was further alleged that, upon his transfer to the ICU, the required medicat oxygen was unavailable, leaving him without the essential respiratory support needed to 1Page 2026/11/11 13:32
manage his conditiin, and that he struggled for breath and remained in distress throughout the night; WHEREAS in a desperate effort to secure the required oxygen, his family reportedly sought to rent an oxygen supply from a private individual in Felele, Lokoje, but unfortunately, none was available at the time it was needed, and consequently, Engr. Hassan Musa continued to struggle for survival before sadly passing away on the morning of Monday, 2nd November 2026; WHEREAS the reported circumstances surrounding this unfortunate Incident raise serious questions about the state of emergency preparedness, availability of essential medical consumables, equipment management, and the general standard of patient care at Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja: WHEREAS the unavailability of medical oxygen in an Intensive Care Unit, if established, represents a serious institutional concern requiring immediate legislative attention, particularly given the critical tole oxygen plays in the management of patients experiencing respiratory distress and other life-threaterling conditions; WHEREAS no citizen should be subjected to avoidable suffering or lose his life under circumstances arising from the unavailability of basic and essential medical supplies in a government-owned hospital, especially where such supplies are indispensable to emergency medical intervention; and WHEREAS it is necessary for this
Honourable House, therefore, to Investigate this unfortunate incident, establish accountability where necessary, identify systemic gaps. and recommend appropriate corrective measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THIS HONOURABLE HOUSE AS FOLLOWS:
Prayers: 1. That the Managing Director of Xogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, and the Honourable Commissioner responsible for Health be summoned to appear before the House Standing Committee on Health and Social Services to explain the circumstances surrounding the reported death of Engr. Hassan Musa, particularly the allegation of unavailability of medical oxygen at the intensive Care Unit
2. That the circumstances leading to the reported unavailability of medical oxygen at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, including the Hospital’s procurement, supply, storage, distribution and inventory management arrangements for essential medical consumables be investigated.
2 Page the institutional and administrative responsibilities for ensuring the continuous availability of medical oxygen and other essential life-saving medical supplies at the Intensive Care Unit and other critical service points within the hospital ba established, and to identify any lapses in the discharge of such responsibilities.
4. That the adequacy of the Hospital’s budgetary provisions, internally generated revenue, funding arrangements and resource utilisation in relation to the procurement and maintenance of essential medical equipment and supplies be examined
5 That appropriate corrective and preventive measures, including a sustainable mechanism for ensuring uninterrupted availability of medical oxygen and other essential emergency medical supplies, to prevent a recurrence of similar Incident in Kogi State’s public health institutions be recommended.
I so move, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Lawal Akus Member, Representing Ankpa 1 State Constituency.
