The officers of the Edo State Police Command have arrested a 46-year-old man, Osaze Okungbowa, who allegedly posed as a medical doctor, delivered babies and trafficked newborns.
Okungbowa was arrested after one Princess Oke reported that the baby she delivered under the suspect’s care was missing.
Speaking while being paraded on Friday at the Edo State Police Command headquarters, Okungbowa said he did not attend any tertiary institution but trained as an auxiliary nurse.
Okungbowa said he was employed at a hospital but denied performing the duties of a medical doctor.
He said Princess Oke’s baby died while being transported to another facility because the infant needed to be placed in an incubator.
“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 and confirmed that he only attended secondary school.
However, the baby’s mother said she heard her baby cry before she became unconscious after delivery.
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?”
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, said the suspect would be charged in court after the conclusion of investigations.
