Surgery saved me from being called a witch - Mother of separated conjoined twins

A mother of conjoined twins separated after a four-hour surgery carried out in January 2020, Mrs Ayebaekipreye Ebinyefa stated that the successful separation of the conjoined twins has saved her from being mocked and tagged a witch in her community, the Nembe area of Bayelsa State.

She made the statement after she arrived at the Bayelsa International Airport with the separated twins, accompanied by some members of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Chief of Medical Services (CMS), her husband and their medical team.

“Before we went for the surgery in Yola, I received insults and was tagged a witch. Some said the children came out conjoined because of my stubbornness and witchcraft.

“While the surgery was going on, I prayed fervently because I cannot receive such wicked names and lose the children. I handed over the operation to God and it saved me the evil blushes among my people.

“I have faith in God and told him to take control. I want to appreciate our benefactor, Gabriel Jonah. He was the God-sent used to save me from death. Because without his intervention during the birth of the babies, we would have been killed.

“He took us from Nembe to Yenagoa and eventually connected everyone involved with this success. In the last eight months, he has fed us and taken care of us up till this moment,” she said.

What you should know about conjoined twins

Conjoined twins are two babies who are born physically connected to each other.

Conjoined twins develop when an early embryo only partially separates to form two individuals. Although two fetuses will develop from this embryo, they will remain physically connected — most often at the chest, abdomen or pelvis. Conjoined twins may also share one or more internal organs.

Though many conjoined twins are not alive when born (stillborn) or die shortly after birth, advances in surgery and technology have improved survival rates. Some surviving conjoined twins can be surgically separated. The success of surgery depends on where the twins are joined and how many and which organs are shared, as well as the experience and skill of the surgical team (Credit: Mayo Clinic).