For many couples battling infertility, every promise of hope matters. But for some people in Ibadan, that hope may have led them into the hands of a man now accused of pretending to be a medical doctor.
Operatives of the Oyo State Police Command have arrested 45-year-old Adeniyi Benjamin for allegedly operating an illegal fertility clinic without any medical qualification or licence.
Benjamin was arrested on October 2 at about 3:00 p.m. by officers of the Command Monitoring Unit at a facility known as Life Is Good Hospital in the Olodo area of Ibadan after intelligence reports about his activities.
Police spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said the suspect was found attending to patients and providing fertility-related treatment despite not being a qualified medical practitioner.
Items recovered from the facility include two weighing scales, four Quantum Magnetic Resonance Body Analysers, a stethoscope, specimen bottles and a carton containing assorted medicines.
According to the police, Benjamin admitted during interrogation that he had been operating the clinic for about seven years without any licence to practise medicine.
> “During preliminary investigation, the suspect confessed to have been operating as a quack practitioner for about seven years and stated that he had been doing so despite not being a medical doctor and without possessing any licence whatsoever to practise medicine. He further stated that he specialises in fertility-related treatment, which he had been administering to patients at the facility,” Ayanlade said.
The police described the alleged activities as a serious threat to public health, especially for vulnerable people seeking fertility treatment and medical help.
The command advised residents to always verify the qualifications and registration status of doctors and medical facilities before seeking treatment. It added that investigations are ongoing and the suspect will be charged to court after the investigation is completed.