Agorehmi Bright, Reporting
THE Rivers State Ministry of Health has sealed 21 illegal medical facilities and arrested three suspected fake doctors, including a man who claims to have trained in Ukraine, in a sweeping anti-quackery operation across the state.
The Permanent Secretary of the Rivers Ministry of Health, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, disclosed the findings on Monday in Port Harcourt during the ministry’s Third Quarter Press Briefing, presented by its Inspection, Enforcement and Anti-Quackery Committees.
Mr Wachukwu said the ministry launched the inspection drive in the third quarter of 2026 following surveillance reports that more than 150 health facilities were operating in the state without registration or supervision by the ministry.
He revealed that only 20 per cent of registered health facilities comply with the mandatory annual inspection and renewal of the Certificate of Standards required under the Rivers State Facility Registration Act No. 2 of 2019.
Twenty-One Facilities Shut, Three Arrested
The Permanent Secretary said a total of 21 health facilities were shut down across Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Etche Local Government Areas during the quarter, with three people arrested for prosecution.
“The facilities include eight hospitals, five maternities and eight diagnostic centres. Nineteen of them were operating without registration and below the minimum standard of the Ministry of Health. Some were registered by the ministry but were operating below minimum standard, as no licensed health worker — doctor or nurse — was present during random inspection,” he said.
The sealed facilities named by the ministry include Manda Clinic and Maternity, Elelenwo; Vasty Clinic, Omoku; Danny Clinic, Town; Daba Clinic, Town; Kambel Hospital, Abara-Etche; Havilla Hospital, Igwuruta; Golden Era Hospital, Igwuruta; Ola-Oluwa Hospital/Medical Centre, Igwuruta; and Sarah Maternity, Belema Polo, Enugu Waterside, Borokiri.
A further 12 hospitals, maternities and diagnostic facilities across Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Etche were sealed but have not been named pending investigation.
Joint Operation With NAPTIP Over Child Trafficking Claims
Mr Wachukwu said the operation that led to the closure of Manda Clinic and Maternity and 20 other facilities was carried out jointly with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) following a case of suspected child trafficking.
“RSMOH and the State Command of NAPTIP conducted a joint operation and sealed up Manda Clinic and Maternity located in the Elelenwo area and 20 other facilities across Rivers State. The operation was sequel to suspected child trafficking racketeering, in which a Liberian national revealed the procurement of three children within a month from the facility.
“Investigations found the facility operating without registration, with no licensed medical practitioners. Operators were arrested by NAPTIP while we sealed up the facility,” he said.
‘Ukrainian-Trained’ Doctor Among Those Arrested
The Permanent Secretary also disclosed the arrest of a suspected fake doctor identified only as Isaac, who allegedly operated an illegal hospital in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
“Havilla Hospital in Igwuruta, Ikwerre LGA, is an unregistered facility operated by Mr Isaac who was conducting free medical outreaches. He is alleged to be Ukraine-trained in 2013, but without an MDCN licence, without supervised training, operates an unregistered facility. He has been arrested and will be referred to the MDCN,” Mr Wachukwu said.
He added that Ola-Oluwa Medical Centre was also an unregistered facility operated by one Mr Sunday Ogundele, who has no medical training or licence but ran a medical centre from his family residence.
“He has been arrested and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for prosecution for impersonation, while his facility was sealed,” he said.
Kambel Hospital, Abara-Etche, and Golden Era Hospital, Igwuruta, were shut down because they had no licensed health professional operating the facilities, according to the ministry.
Social Media TBA Influencer Visited
Mr Wachukwu said Sarah Maternity, Belema Polo, Enugu Waterside, Borokiri — operated by a popular social media traditional birth attendant (TBA) influencer with a patient load of over 1,000 women and daily traffic of more than 200 women — was visited by the enforcement team.
“We used the opportunity to establish practice guidelines, supervision and advertisement. She was issued an official warning and served as a contact point to other TBAs and maternities on the need for supervision and training,” he said.
A further 16 facilities were found to be unregistered and failed to meet the minimum standards of the State Facility Registration Act.
Ministry Vows to Stamp Out Quackery
The ministry reiterated the Rivers government’s commitment to eradicating quackery in the state.
“Rivers State Ministry of Health is fully committed to its regulatory function and is committed to eradicate quackery from Rivers State as part of its mandate on health security. This exercise is a continuation of the anti-quackery mandate to stamp out all unregistered facilities and facilities operated without minimum standards,” Mr Wachukwu said.
He directed all registered facilities to display their Certificate of Standards at their reception as a quality assurance check, and advised the public to seek care only at facilities with verified certificates.
“We appeal to members of the public to also notify the ministry of any suspicious medical practices,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary also announced the commencement of the 2026 enforcement drive against all facilities defaulting on annual inspection and renewal of certificates, and thanked stakeholders and security agencies — including the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NAPTIP, the Immigration Service, the Nigerian Medical Association Rivers and other professional bodies — for their support in upholding the ethics of medical practice.
