Edo Police Arrest Fake Doctor Over Alleged Baby Trafficking

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested a 46-year-old man, Osaze Okungbowa, for allegedly posing as a medical doctor, conducting childbirths and trafficking newborn babies.

The suspect was apprehended following a complaint by Princess Oke, who alleged that the baby she delivered under his care mysteriously disappeared.

Speaking while being paraded at the Edo State Police Command headquarters in Benin City on Friday, Okungbowa admitted he was not a qualified medical doctor, revealing that he never attended any tertiary institution and only received training as an auxiliary nurse.

According to him, he worked as a manager at a private hospital where both qualified and unqualified personnel were employed.

“I am a fake doctor. I was employed as a manager in a private hospital. The owner employs both qualified and unqualified persons,” he confessed.

Okungbowa claimed he did not personally conduct the delivery because he was unwell on the day the woman arrived at the facility.

He explained that he invited another woman to assist with the delivery, after which the newborn reportedly developed complications and was being transported to a hospital with an incubator when the baby allegedly died.

“The baby was not feeling fine, so I was asked to take the child to a hospital where there was an incubator. While taking the baby there, it died. We later buried the baby at an Anglican cemetery,” he said.

The suspect denied allegations that he sold the baby, insisting that the child died before reaching the hospital.

However, the baby’s mother, Princess Oke, disputed the account, maintaining that she heard her baby cry immediately after delivery before losing consciousness.

She alleged that when she regained consciousness, her baby had vanished, leaving only the placenta behind.

“Okungbowa induced my labour around 11 a.m. A midwife later asked me to come to their house for delivery. After I gave birth, I heard my baby cry before I became unconscious.

“When I woke up, I saw only the placenta. The doctor had disappeared. I was later told the baby died, but I don’t believe that. He claimed my baby was premature, but how can a baby delivered after 35 weeks of pregnancy be described as premature?” she queried.

The allegations have heightened suspicions of possible baby trafficking, although police say investigations are still ongoing.

Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, confirmed that the suspect would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The arrest forms part of the Edo State Police Command’s intensified crackdown on criminal activities, including human trafficking and other organised crimes across the State.