A family court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has ordered the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and Oham Samuel Oke to proceed with administering a life-saving blood transfusion to a critically ill two-year-old girl, Ruth Samuel, overriding her parents’ objections on religious grounds.
The directive, issued by the Calabar Magisterial District’s Presiding Deputy Chief Registrar, V.S.S. Ebaye, came in response to an ex parte motion filed by the Registered Trustees of Basic Rights Counsel Initiative represented by counsel O.N. Tateh,
In Suit No: MC/FC/21/2025, the BRCI is listed as the applicant, while the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and the child’s father, Oham Samuel, were the 1st and 2nd respondents, respectively.
According to the court’s enrolled order, signed by Registrar, Kate Enoh, the court found merit in the application and held that it was made in good faith and justified under the Child Rights Law of Cross River State, 2023.
The court ordered the UCTH and the child’s father to “administer a blood transfusion and/or such medical intervention as may be reasonably required to preserve the life and well-being” of Ruth, who is currently in intensive care.
The order also waived the need for parental consent due to the urgent medical situation and directed the parents to cover the financial costs of the treatment.
Sources at the hospital revealed that Oke, citing his faith as a Jehovah’s Witness, had refused to consent to the transfusion and mobilized other family members to block medical staff from proceeding with the intervention. Attempts were reportedly made to remove the child from the hospital against medical advice.
In response to the court’s decision, human rights organization Humanist Enabling Love Project (HELP) praised BRCI’s actions. In a statement by its founder, Dr. Leo Igwe, HELP highlighted the urgency of the situation, noting that doctors had warned Ruth could die within 72 hours without the transfusion.
HELP criticized the use of religious beliefs to deny life-saving treatment to children, emphasizing that such doctrines are human interpretations rather than divine commands.
“Nigeria must pay close attention to this development, as there are over 400,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the country,” Igwe said. “Efforts must be made to ensure that misguided faith-based decisions do not endanger children’s lives.”
