Police Arrest Fake Doctor in Edo Over Newborn Trafficking Claims

A shocking arrest in Edo has exposed claims of a fake doctor, a missing newborn and a trail of denial, burial and unanswered questions that is now shaking public trust in private maternity care.

Atlantic Post

July 3, 2026

2–4 minutes

Edo Police, Fake Doctor, Monday Agbonika, Newborn Trafficking, Osaze Okungbowa, Princess Oke

The Edo State Police Command has arrested a 46-year-old man, Osaze Okungbowa, who allegedly posed as a medical doctor, conducted deliveries and trafficked newborn babies, in a case that has triggered fresh concerns over unlicensed practice and maternal safety in private health facilities.

Okungbowa was arrested after one Princess Oke reported that the baby she delivered under his care had gone missing. The suspect was paraded on Friday at the Edo State Police Command headquarters, where he admitted that he was not a university-trained doctor, but said he had worked in a private hospital and had only trained as an auxiliary nurse.

He told reporters: “I am a fake doctor. I was employed as a manager in a private hospital. The owner employs both qualified and unqualified persons. One Mr Godwin brought a woman and said she wanted to deliver. I told them I could not take the delivery because I was not feeling well that day.

“I called a woman to come and assist with the delivery at the facility. The lady I called took the pregnant woman home for delivery. The man who brought the pregnant woman called me and said the baby was not feeling fine and that I should take the baby to where it could be kept in an incubator.

“I took the baby, and while transporting it to the hospital, it died. Mr Godwin said we should bury the baby. We buried the baby at an Anglican cemetery.”

Okungbowa insisted that he did not sell the baby. He also said he had only attended secondary school and did not attend any tertiary institution.

The baby’s mother, Princess Oke, gave a different account, saying she heard her baby cry before she later lost consciousness after delivery. According to her, she was moved by a midwife to another location for childbirth.

She said: “Okungbowa was the person who induced me around 11 a.m. A midwife said I should go to their house to deliver. After delivery, I heard the baby cry before I became unconscious.

“When I regained consciousness, I saw only the placenta. The doctor had been on the run. I was told the baby died. I believe the child is not dead. He said the child was premature. How can a baby delivered after 35 weeks of pregnancy be premature?”

Her complaint, police sources said, prompted the arrest and subsequent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the delivery, the alleged disappearance of the baby and the role played by those involved in the incident.

The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, said the suspect would be charged to court after investigations are concluded. The command has not yet disclosed whether other suspects have been arrested in connection with the case.

The matter has again drawn attention to the dangers posed by impostors operating in the health sector, especially in parts of the country where unregulated private facilities, weak supervision and desperate patients often create space for abuse.

It also raises questions about the supervision of maternity services in private hospitals, the verification of personnel working in such facilities and the protection of newborns in cases involving emergency referrals or suspected complications.

For now, police say the investigation is ongoing, while the suspect remains in custody pending arraignment.