By Ibrahim Kado
Modibbo Adamawa University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH), Yola, on Monday
successfully separated four-month, two-week-old conjoined male twins.
The surgery was led by Prof. Abubakar Auwal, a pediatrician and paediatric
surgery expert.
Auwal, Professor of Paediatric Surgery and former Chief Medical Director, said
the three-hour operation marked the sixth successful conjoined twins separation in
the hospital’s history by the experienced surgical team.
He explained that the twins were joined at the abdominal region, but the team
successfully separated them. “In this hospital, this is the sixth separation, though
we have like two in Maiduguri,” he said.
The surgeon added that the hospital had the necessary equipment and general
support to handle critical pediatric cases, allowing patients to access world-class
care locally without needing to travel abroad for treatment.
He revealed the surgery was conducted free of charge thanks to support from the
Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which funded resources and
interventions for pediatric surgery in MAUTH Yola.
Dr Salihu Bakari, TETFund Director, Centre for Excellence, said MAUTH Yola
was one of 30 centres nationwide with substantial investment, adding that in 2026,
the hospital benefited from N500 million for research and medical development.
He congratulated the hospital and family on saving the twins’ lives.
“I am very happy because this is exactly why the centre was established, to give
ordinary people world-class medical attention locally,” he said.
Prof. Adamu Bakari, CMD of MAUTH Yola, appreciated the medical team and all
staff for the successful surgery.
He highlighted the hospital’s designation as a TETFund centre for excellent
pediatric surgery nationwide.
He added that patients from across Nigeria now patronise MAUTH for pediatric
surgeries, especially complex procedures like conjoined twin separation
reinforcing the hospital’s reputation for excellence and critical medical care across
the region.
