Fake doctor takes delivery of over 90 babies

Stephen Nwankwo

A man who holds a secondary school certificate, Stephen Nwankwo, but worked as a doctor in a fake hospital has been arrested alongside the owner of the hospital.

Nwankwo said they took delivery of over 90 babies within the two years he worked in the hospital established by 39-year-old Gabriel Onyema, another secondary school leaver, who lives in Ghana and sells paper.

The suspects spoke with journalists while being paraded on Friday at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja.

Spokesperson for the police command, Ngozi Braide, said Nwankwo and Onyema were arrested by officers of Area ‘E’ Police Command, FESTAC Town, after a pregnant woman, who had gone to the hospital, died during labour.

40-year-old Nwankwo said he was an auxiliary doctor in a hospital in Ondo State before he moved to Lagos, where he was employed by Onyema.

But while being questioned by journalists, it turned out that he was only a non-medical employee in the unnamed hospital.

The suspect said, “I worked in a hospital in Ondo State sometime ago. I finished from a secondary school before getting a job in Care Hospital, Iba.

“I met Gabriel (Onyema) in the house where he was living in Iba and told him the house was good for a hospital. We then teamed up and entered into a partnership with another man, Dr. Abayomi.

“Gabriel later said I should start working in the hospital as a doctor as well. We undertook up to 90 deliveries. There was a delivery we started about 8 am but did not end until 4 pm. The woman lost a lot of blood. When the baby did not come out on time, we used hand to pull the baby out.”

He, however, claimed that the woman and her baby survived the operation.

Onyema said he lives mostly in Ghana “where I sell bond papers.”

Asked if the hospital was registered, he said, “Work is ongoing on the registration.”

He stated, “I don’t really know all the details of what the doctors I employed there do. They are in the best position to tell you since I was always in Ghana.”

When journalists asked if he was aware his employees perform illegal procedures in the hospital, Onyema said, “Ask me a valid question.” He refused to answer questions onwards.

Meanwhile, the police also paraded four robbery suspects who were arrested during a gun battle with a team of anti-robbery men in Okokomaiko area of Lagos.

“On July 26, 2013, the control room got a distress call that a woman was being robbed in her house in Okokomaiko. The men of the anti-robbery team under the Area ‘E’ Command were able to arrest Godwin Obinwa, who later gave a confession, which led to the arrest of other members of the gang – Nonso Mbonu, Emmanuel Andy and Duke Onugbo,” Braide said.

The police recovered eight guns at Fooma Hotel, Okokomaiko, where the robbers lodged.

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