7.6.2026
Nigerian conjoined twins Goodness and Mercy survive a risky surgery to separate them in the United Arab Emirates at the weekend.
The twins were joined at the top of the head and the pioneering surgery which has a one-in-10 million success rate went on well for the 15 months old girls who were born with their skulls fused and intertwined brain tissue and blood vessels.
A series of life-saving procedures were performed at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi in what is being described as a “medical milestone”.
Over six months, the girls underwent four surgeries involving more than 60 doctors and clinicians from the UAE, UK, Brazil, and Nigeria, including neurosurgeons, craniofacial surgeons, paediatricians, anaesthetists, nurses, radiologists, and rehabilitation therapists.
Gemini Untwined, a charity that specialises in research and treatment of craniopagus twins – where the siblings are joined by the head – played a key role in co-ordinating the mammoth medical effort and bringing clinical expertise to Abu Dhabi.
Doctors harnessed cutting-edge imaging technology, advanced augmented reality simulations, and 3D printing, to allow them to map the twins’ delicate vascular and neural systems.
After the successful separation, their skulls were reconstructed using custom 3D-printed titanium grafts.
Mercy and Goodness are recovering well in the UAE, undergoing continuous rehabilitation to develop motor skills and adapt to independent movement before returning to Nigeria, where they will look forward to living normal and independent lives.
“This is more than a medical milestone; it is a story of compassion, courage, and global collaboration, a reflection of Abu Dhabi’s unwavering commitment to delivering healthcare that transforms lives,” said Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation.
“We are proud to have facilitated this global collaboration and to have hosted it in our country, where world-class talent and cutting-edge innovation come together to deliver hope.”
Conjoined twins are incredibly rare, accounting for one in every 2.5 million births, according to figures shared by the UK’s Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Only 5 percent of conjoined twins are craniopagus, as was the case for Mercy and Goodness.
About 40 percent of twins fused at the head are stillborn or die during labour, while a further third die within 24 hours.
The chance of craniopagus twins surviving long enough to undergo surgery is about one in 10 million births. With agency reports
Goodness and Mercy with their parents after the surgery