Monday, January 19, 2026 - The sudden deaths of nine-month-old identical twins, Testimony and Timothy Alozie, have prompted official investigations into routine immunization practices in Lagos State, following widespread public outrage ignited by their father’s posts on social media.
Rather than centring solely on the medical process, the case
has unfolded as a test of public confidence in primary healthcare delivery and
government response to vaccine-related fears.
The Lagos State government has now ordered a postmortem
examination to determine the cause of de@th, as investigations by both the
police and state health authorities continue.
The incident gained widespread attention after the twins’
father, Samuel Alozie, popularly known as Promise Samuel on TikTok, posted
videos showing the lifeless bodies of his children in separate body bags.
In the videos, he recounted how the twins reportedly d!ed
less than 24 hours after receiving routine immunization at a primary health
care centre.
In a follow-up video on Thursday, Alozie said he took his
sons for vaccination on the morning of December 24, 2025, and noticed immediate
changes in their condition.
"They could not eat, they could not play, they could
not even disturb as they used to. They were just weak,” he said.
According to him, a nurse at the facility advised the
parents to administer paracetamol if the babies developed a fever. Alozie said
the advice was followed, alongside bathing the children in cold water, but
their condition deteriorated.
“It happened that the immunization was conducted on the 24th
of December in the morning, and on the morning of 25th December, they d!ed. On
the 24th, after the injection, they were very weak, and I gave them paracetamol
because the nurse said that if the temperature continued, I should give them
paracetamol."
"My wife bathed them in cold water. They d!ed on the
25th. The two of them d!ed at the same time. The drug weakened them to the
extent that they couldn’t talk, they couldn’t eat, they couldn’t play as
usual,” he said.
Struggling to come to terms with the loss, Alozie questioned
the explanation reportedly offered at the health centre
"I’m just confused. How can I lose two children,
identical twins that I have suffered so much for? Just nine months, they were
not sick. Just because I decided to fulfil the righteousness of taking them for
immunisation,” he said.
"The nurse is talking about bacteria, food bacteria.
She said that it is food bacteria that killed my children. How can food
bacteria kill a child? Food that I’ve been giving them from one month to nine
months did not kill them,” he added.
Responding to the incident, a Lagos State official said
authorities were proceeding with caution while awaiting medical findings.
"We sympathise with them and we understand the grief
these parents will be going through, but we would like for the right things to
be done and the right decisions to be taken. It is being investigated by the
police and we are also doing our investigation as a state, and we are expecting
the postmortem findings."
"This particular vaccine has been given to many
children before and after these kids, and nothing like this has been recorded,” he
said.
The outcome of the postmortem is expected to play a key role
in addressing public concerns and clarifying the circumstances surrounding the
twins’ de@ths.
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