A tradomedical practitioner in Lagos has claimed that a 20-year old woman delivered a tortoise and a baby girl in his clinic.

The woman, Rasheedat Raimi, said she had carried the pregnancy for 10 months before she eventually delivered the baby girl and the tortoise at a trado-medical clinic on Mutairu Street, Off Ijegun Road, outskirts of Lagos.
•Rasheedat Raimi, 20 yr old, mother of tortoise and the baby. Photos: Olatunji Obasa.

The owner of the clinic, Shehu Daudu Oseni, said the woman gave birth to the tortoise and the baby girl at 9.49 p.m on Wednesday.

Many orthodox doctors and traditional doctors contacted by P.M.NEWS on the strange delivery quickly dismissed the claim as impossible. Dr. Lawrence Akinsanya said “it is not possible, never, ever”. He said the claim has no basis in the science of reproduction. “It is just not scientifically possible”, he added.

P.M.NEWS gathered that Rasheedat had gone to Yakafi Trado-medical Nigeria Limited to observe Tahajjud (night vigil) with other pregnant women without any premonition that she was due for delivery.

When P.M.NEWS got to the trado-medical clinic, yesterday and this morning, Rasheedat was found looking pale and tired. She was sleeping on a bed in the clinic while her grandmother, Alhaja Taibat, who sat beside her fanned her.

She was in pains as she talked to P.M.NEWS about the strange delivery. “I came to Yakafi for prayers because of the terrible pains I was having in my stomach. Immediately I got here, prayers were offered and immediately there was a burst of water and blood under me. The tortoise came out with the placenta and the baby came out later. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I was very weak. I was happy the pain left me. I felt relieved after the delivery. I thank God,” she told P.M.NEWS slowly.

On whether she attended ante-natal clinic before the delivery, the young woman said: ”I carried the pregnancy for 10 months. I did scans several times and nobody told me that I was carrying tortoise in my womb. What they always told me was that I am alright and would deliver at the right time,” she added.
•The tortoise.

Attempts by P.M.NEWS to know the hospital or the diagnostic centre where she claimed she had several scans proved abortive as she could not remember the name or address of the centre. She could also not mention the names of the doctor or nurses who attended to her at the clinic.

But corroborating her story, the owner of Yakafi Trado-medical Nigeria Limited, Shehu Dauda Oseni, described the delivery as “amazing”.

“This is amazing, but true. She did not register with my clinic for ante-natal. When she came here with her people, she was in pains, we didn’t know she will deliver here. She only came here for Tahajjud prayers (night vigil). We were praying when suddenly she started wriggling. She was in pains.

“I touched her stomach and observed something strange moving inside her. It was a strange thing. I thought it was a lizard but it turned out to be a tortoise. The tortoise tore the placenta into pieces and came out. The baby came out afterwards.

“She fainted after the delivery and we have to revive her with prayers. This is what God can do. She had several scans but nobody told her that he was carrying a tortoise in her womb. God is great,” he declared.

Rasheedat who is still in the hospital has been visited by her husband, in-laws, relatives and neighbours who trooped to the clinic to catch a glimpse of the strange occurance.

In interviews with P.M.NEWS this morning, however, many orthodox and traditional medical practitioners described the claim as impossible.

Dr. Banji Filani of Sound Health Centre, Lagos, described the claim as untrue. “It is not possible. I don’t believe the story. How can a baby and a tortoise co-habit in a woman’s womb? Medically, it is not possible. Traditionally, it is impossible,” he stated.
•The baby girl.

In his own reaction, Dr. Aberuagba of Aberuagba trado-medical centre countered that the strange birth is possible. “It can happen. It can be done by spiritual manipulations of the foetus. It is the work of dark forces who want to scuttle the birth of the baby but God in his infinite mercy prevented their evil design,” he said.

Another medical doctor, Dr. Rotimi Adesanya said: “The claim is not feasible. More investigations should be conducted on the strange delivery. It is difficult to believe. I don’t believe it can happen,” the Ogun State-based medical practitioner said.

Claims of strange deliveries are common in Nigeria. But such claims have never been verified by the scientific community, allowing beliefs in such miracles to fester.

In 2005, a Russian woman gave birth to a cyclop child ( a cyclop in Greek mythology is a one eyed giant). The cyclop, a female was covered with thick hair; an eye in the center of the head and a trunk that was growing on the head above the eye. Doctors in Russsia then explained that the incredible mutant baby, born pre-term could have arisen from complications during the preganancy, some of them traceable to the use of antibiotics such as tetracycline. Said Dr.Ivan Rylchikov, a specialist: ‘‘The medicine affects the developments of the fetus’ bone and teeth; even a small dose can be dangerous for an unborn child. A cyclop is not viable—they do not live longer than one week. In addition, nature has its own regulator. If the development of the fetus takes an unusual mturn, the probability of a miscarriage increases a lot. This is the way that Mother Nature uses to kill mutants in the womb”.

Doctors in Nigeria are making the same comment on the alleged strange births in suburban Lagos, that the nature has its way of protecting a woman’s womb, with the cervic being shut down once a conceived baby has embedded itself in the mother’s womb. “There is no way the woman would have carried the tortoise in her womb, along with the baby. Because with the cervic closed, there is no way a foreign body would have entered the womb’’, said Dr. Akinsanya.

But Oseni’s nurses who claimed they witnessed the birth affirmed the strange occurrence.

A staff nurse at the clinic who witnessed the delivery, Olaponmile Ajani, said she was there when the delivery took place. She disclosed that Rasheedat had been complaining of severe pains and discomfort in her womb before the delivery.

“The tortoise came out before the baby. It was after several minutes later that the baby now came out.

“Her private part was torn seriously as the tortoise came out. Before then the doctor tried to put his hand into her but the tortoise pulled his hand. By the time it eventually came out we could not believe it, but it was real.”

“The baby was so healthy when she came out because she cried by herself. The baby has no wound or mark. It was a miracle. The tortoise had been feeding on the placenta as it was all torn when it came out.

Other staff of the hospital who witnessed the delivery are Mr. Saheed Soyemi, Mrs. Rasheed, Mrs. Fatimat Useni, Mrs. Aminat

Meanwhile, the hospital has turned into a sort of Mecca to thousands of residents of Ikotun who now throng the clinic to view the strange delivery.

this is shocking oo

This is Bullshit!!!

dont believe it, its a scam. the trado watever wanted publicity and they used this poor girl as a scape goat for their selfish interest. i believe the toitoise was there before she delivered

i red that on pm news. i couldnt believe how many gulible people BELIEVED this story. how inept can someone possible be not to see right through this?

http://thepmnews.com/2009/12/04/woman-delivers-tortoise-baby-girl-it’s-a-hoax-doctors-say