From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
A set of conjoined babies, Hassana and Hussaini Hassan Isa, yesterday, departed the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, for a complex surgical separation in Saudi Arabia.
The babies, who are from Kano State, were joined at the chest and shared a number of vital organs, making their separation a medically intricate and challenging procedure, according to medical experts.
The surgery, which will take place at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh with the support of the Saudi government will mark a groundbreaking moment in the field of paediatric surgery.
Speaking at the airport shortly before the departure of the twins, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, expressed appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the humanitarian gesture to the parents of the twins.
He explained that the gesture was not only to the people of the state, but to the entire Muslim community in Nigeria
He recalled that the same Saudi Kingdom had only last year sponsored the surgery of a similar case from the state, adding that both gestures would be remembered for a long time to come.
The Press Attachee at the Saudi Embassy in Abuja, Mohammed Aisahabi, said the Kingdom was committed to providing humanitarian reliefs and aid to Nigeria for the betterment and interest of the brotherly and friendly relationship between both countries.