The Lagos State Government has formally ordered a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death of nine-month-old identical twins, Testimony and Timothy Alozie, who reportedly perished within twenty-four hours of receiving routine vaccinations at a state-run primary healthcare centre.
The distressing incident, which occurred in the Ajangbadi district, gained significant public attention after the infants’ father, Mr Samuel Alozie, shared poignant footage on social media documenting his grief and the circumstances surrounding his sons’ final hours.
According to Mr Alozie, the twins were in excellent health when he presented them for their scheduled immunisations on the morning of 24 December 2025. He noted, however, that the nurse who administered the injections was not the official who usually attended to the family.
In a harrowing account, the father described how the infants became profoundly lethargic almost immediately following the procedure. “They could not eat, they could not play… they were just weak,” Mr Alozie stated. He further explained that despite following medical advice to administer paracetamol and provide cool baths to manage their rising temperatures, both children succumbed simultaneously on the morning of Christmas Day.
Mr Alozie has vociferously rejected preliminary suggestions from healthcare officials that the deaths may have been caused by “food-borne bacteria,” pointing out that the infants had been consuming the same diet for months without ill effect.
Dr Ibrahim Mustafa, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, issued a statement expressing the government’s condolences while confirming that a rigorous investigation is underway.
“We sympathise deeply with the parents during this period of immense grief,” Dr Mustafa said. “The police are investigating, and the State is conducting a parallel inquiry. We are currently awaiting the post-mortem findings from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) morgue.”
Dr Mustafa also observed that the specific batch of vaccine utilised has been administered to numerous other children without any recorded adverse reactions. He assured the public that the findings of the autopsy would be made transparent once the laboratory results are finalised.
Despite the government’s assurances, the bereaved father has expressed profound concerns regarding the impartiality of the investigation, fearing a “government-to-government” cover-up designed to protect the state-owned facility.
In a plea for assistance, Mr Alozie appealed to the legal community: “If you are a human rights lawyer, I beg you to help me. I do not have the resources to pursue this matter alone. I seek only justice for my children.”
The Lagos State Government has maintained that it will communicate the outcome of the inquiry “appropriately” as soon as scientific evidence becomes available.
