The Kebbi State Police Command has confirmed the detention of all suspects linked to the controversial deaths of two young sisters at the General Hospital, Zuru, as pressure mounts for accountability over alleged medical negligence.

The girls, aged three and six, reportedly died after being administered what their family and community members insist was the wrong medication during treatment at the government facility. Their deaths triggered outrage in Zuru and beyond, prompting calls for a thorough investigation into hospital practices and supervision.

Police Public Relations Officer, Nafi’u Abubakar, said in a telephone interview that officers had moved swiftly to secure all those believed to be connected to the incident.

“We are aware of the incident. All those involved have been arrested, and investigations are ongoing,” he stated, adding that the command is working closely with health authorities and the state government’s probe panel.

The state government had earlier set up a special committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the deaths, following reports that the children died after receiving a wrongful injection. Governor Nasir Idris approved the panel, with the directive conveyed by the Secretary to the State Government, Yakubu Bala Tafida.

The panel, which is sitting at the General Hospital, Zuru, has begun hearing testimonies from key witnesses, including medical personnel and the bereaved family. According to a statement by the media aide to the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmad Aliyu, the principal medical officer, Dr Thomas Gode, medical officer, Dr Mohammed Fakai, and the nurses on duty from admission to the third day, when the girls died, all appeared before the committee and were cross-examined.

The children’s father, Ibrahim Shuni, led other family members in presenting their account of events, detailing their experience from the time the girls were brought to the hospital to the moment they were informed of the deaths.

Hospital staff who appeared before the panel reportedly highlighted the dangers of communication gaps among personnel, stressing the need for teamwork and timely consultation in life-threatening situations.

Panel chairman and Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed BK, urged strict adherence to medical ethics, warning that avoidable errors that put patients at risk would no longer be tolerated. The Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Ismaila Yakubu Augie, called for stronger collaboration across all cadres of the health sector to improve service delivery.

The committee is expected to continue its sittings in the coming days, with more witnesses scheduled to testify as both the police investigation and administrative probe run concurrently.