Some Sickle Cell Aneamia (SCA) patients in Benin City, the capital of Edo State in south-south Nigeria, staged a protest over alleged plan to convert their treatment centre near the government house, to other official use.     

The protesters, who have Sickle Cell Aneamia and their relatives, including women and children said all efforts to make the government improve their treatment centre have been ignored, resulting in the death of many.

However, in a swift reaction to the development, the Edo state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Peter Ebodaghe, whose office and that of the Permanent Secretary are also located at the Sickle Cell Treatment Centre, absolved the government of any blame, saying the government is only putting the facility into what it was originally meant for.