Former Nigerian senator Ibrahim Musa Kontagora has died in Abuja after suffering a medical emergency, with his family alleging that a $30,000 hospital bill delayed urgent surgery.
Kontagora, who represented Niger North Senatorial District from 2011 to 2015, passed away at Nizamiye Hospital.
His family claimed he was unable to pay the full amount upfront, managing only a $15,000 deposit.
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Hospital staff allegedly insisted on receiving the complete payment before treatment could begin.
The family scrambled to raise the balance, but it reportedly arrived too late.
A hospital spokesperson confirmed a full-payment policy but did not take responsibility for the incident.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago contributed towards the bill, while Senator Aliyu Abdullahi and others have offered condolences.
Meanwhile, the management of Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, has denied claims that it refused to perform a critical medical procedure on former Senator Ibrahim Musa Kontagora over an alleged shortfall in payment, insisting that no surgery was scheduled and the hospital was not responsible for the advanced stem cell therapy that had been recommended.
The clarification was made by the Public Relations Officer of the Hospital, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar while reacting to a report by an online medium (Not The Paradise News) alleging that the hospital declined a life-saving surgery because the family failed to pay the full $30,000 bill.
The hospital said the stem cell procedure was entirely external, typically coordinated with international medical professionals, and that the facility only connects interested families with the providers.
“We don’t do stem cell treatments here. It’s handled by specialists from abroad. The patient’s relatives even called yesterday asking if we could assist in contacting the specialists,” the representative added.
Sources: Gistreel, Daily Trust
