by Nurat Uthman
A fake medical doctor, Collins Emeka Orji, who operated a medical facility in Ngarabe, Ekureku, Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State, has been arrested by the police. He has been remanded at the Obubra Correctional Centre following an order from the Magistrate Court in Itigidi, also in Abi LGA.
It was gathered that Orji has been operating a hospital without a license, both for himself and the facility.
Findings revealed that Orji operated Excellent Hospital in Ngarabe, Ekureku, until the Cross River State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti Quackery visited his facility on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
Further investigations revealed by the Taskforce also stated that Orji had in the past operated a medical facility in Ugep as St. Collins Hospital, in Ibogo, Biase LGA as Common Wealth Clinic, and now Excellent Hospital Ngarabe Ekureku in Abi LGA.
According to the Head of the Cross River State Task Force on Health Quality and Anti-Quackery, Dr Dan Abubakar, when they met Orji with a team of police officers, they discovered he was not a medical doctor and had no medical training.
“When the task force got to the facility with a team of police officers from Itigidi, they met Orji, and after interacting with him, it was discovered that he was not a medical doctor and had no medical training.
“His facility was also not registered with the state government,” one source told us.
In a video of the interaction obtained by Vanguard, Orji is seen laying claims to being trained as a homoeopathic doctor and could not even validate this claim.
“He had no license to practice medicine and surgery in Nigeria and did not attend any medical institution, but carried out surgical operations on his patients in his consulting room and had no qualified nursing stall.
“The two young girls the task force met at the facility masquerading as nurses confessed during interrogation that they were only working there as volunteers after both dropping out of secondary school; they had no nursing training.
Speaking further, Dr Abubakar said, since he had no registrable credentials with the Medical & Dental Council of Nigeria, we sealed Excellent Hospital, Ngarabe, Ekureku, before we took him to the police station, Itigidi.”
Orji, who appeared before the magistrate court, was tried and granted bail. Unable to meet the bail conditions, he was remanded in prison custody at the Obubra Correctional Centre, and the matter adjourned to August 9, 2024, for further hearing.
