The Lagos State Government has ordered a postmortem examination on nine-month-old identical twins, Testimony and Timothy Alozie, who reportedly died about 24 hours after receiving routine immunisation at a primary healthcare centre in the state.
The case gained public attention after the twins’ father, Samuel Alozie, popularly known as Promise Samuel on TikTok, shared viral videos showing the lifeless bodies of his sons in separate body bags while recounting the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
In a follow-up video on Thursday, Alozie said he took the twins for their routine immunisation on the morning of December 24, 2025. According to him, the babies became unusually weak shortly after receiving the injections.
“They could not eat, they could not play, they could not even disturb as they used to. They were just weak,” he said.
Alozie explained that a nurse at the health facility advised him to administer paracetamol if the children developed a fever. He said he and his wife followed the instruction and also bathed the twins in cold water, but their condition continued to deteriorate.
“The immunisation was done on the morning of December 24. After the injections, they became very weak. On the morning of December 25, they both died at the same time,” he said.
The grieving father maintained that the twins were healthy before the vaccination and had consistently received all routine immunisations since birth.
“I am confused. How can I lose two children at once—identical twins I struggled so much for? They were only nine months old and not sick. Just because I decided to take them for immunisation,” he lamented.
Alozie also raised concerns that the nurse who administered the injections was not the regular health worker who usually attended to his children. He rejected claims from the health centre suggesting that the deaths may have been caused by food-related bacteria.
“They said it was food bacteria. How can food I’ve been giving them from one month to nine months suddenly kill them?” he queried.
Reacting to the incident, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Ibrahim Mustafa, confirmed that investigations were ongoing and that a postmortem had been ordered.
“We sympathise with the parents and understand their pain. The case is being investigated by the police, and we are also conducting our own investigation as a state. We are awaiting the postmortem findings,” Mustafa said.
He added that the vaccine involved had been administered to many other children before and after the twins without any reported adverse effects. According to him, the bodies of the deceased twins have been deposited at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital morgue.
“Once the postmortem results are available, we will communicate our findings appropriately,” he assured.
However, Alozie expressed fears that the investigation might be compromised to protect the government-owned health facility, describing the situation as “government to government.”
“I need justice for my children. If you are a lawyer or human rights advocate, please help me. I don’t have the money to fight this alone,” he pleaded.
Advertisement