Twin sisters, Dr Hadiyah Usman Abdullahi, a medical doctor, and Pharm. Aidah Usman Abdullahi, a pharmacist, have died just two days apart after battling sickle cell disease, throwing their family and the medical community in Yobe and Borno states into mourning.
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The sisters were daughters of the Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, Yobe State, Prof. Hadiza Abdullahi Usman.
Hadiyah, who was undergoing her internship at FMC Nguru, died on Friday, October 2, 2026, while her twin sister, Aidah, who worked as a pharmacist at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, died on Sunday, October 4. Their deaths were confirmed by a family member, Ibrahim Auwal, who said both sisters had been battling sickle cell disease.
According to the family, Hadiyah had been admitted to FMC Nguru for about a week after suffering a sickle cell crisis before she died on Friday.
Aidah was also receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital around the same period. She was reportedly discharged after her condition improved, but died two days after her twin sister.
“It is a very painful development. Hadiyah passed away on Friday, and Aidah followed on Sunday. Both sisters had been battling sickle cell disease, and their deaths are a great loss, particularly to their family, friends and colleagues,” Auwal said.
He described the sisters as hardworking young professionals whose deaths had devastated the family.
“We are deeply saddened by what has happened. Losing the two sisters within just a few days has been extremely painful for the family. They were both dedicated to their professions and had promising futures ahead of them,” he added.
Hadiyah was reportedly buried on Friday after funeral prayers at the Emir’s Palace, in accordance with Islamic rites.
Aidah later visited her twin sister’s grave on Sunday and subsequently collapsed before she was taken to hospital, where she died. That account has been reported by several outlets, although the precise medical circumstances immediately preceding her death have not been independently detailed by the family in the available accounts.
The Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, also confirmed Aidah’s death in a social media announcement cited by several reports, describing her as the “second twin” of Prof. Usman.
The double loss has drawn particular attention because both sisters had chosen careers in healthcare. Hadiyah was building her career as a medical doctor at the same federal medical centre headed by her mother, while Aidah was practising pharmacy at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Their mother, Prof. Hadiza Abdullahi Usman, is a Professor of Gynaecological Oncology and Reproductive Health with decades of experience in clinical medicine, academia and hospital administration.
According to her official profile at FMC Nguru, she obtained her medical degree from the University of Maiduguri in 1992 and later became the first female Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist produced by the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. She was promoted to Professor in October 2018.
Prof. Usman was appointed the fourth Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of FMC Nguru on November 18, 2022, becoming the first woman to head the institution.
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