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.
He said 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.
Shuaibu Jibir, father of the twins from Taraba State, said the surgery was free of charge and expressed gratitude for the care provided.
Tragically, his wife, the twins’ mother, passed away shortly after childbirth
