Nigerian Police Arrest Fake Doctor in Nasarawa For Organ Trafficking, N21m Fraud

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested Igwe Gift Okechukwu, a fraudulent individual posing as a doctor, involved in criminal conspiracy, organ trafficking, fraud, cybercrime, stealing, impersonation, cheating, and identity theft.

The arrest took place in Nasarawa State by officers of the Force Criminal Investigation Department after the suspect was involved in fraudulent activities in Owerri, Imo State.

The individual, presenting himself as Henry Ovie, a newly transferred neurologist at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Owerri, deceived a point-of-sale (POS) operator, Anita Chinwe Mathias into entering a code on her POS machine.

As a result, the entire sum of twenty-one million naira (N21,000,000) was withdrawn from her account, prompting her to report the incident to the police.

Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed the details of the arrest during a press conference in Abuja

He detailed the suspect’s method of operation, which included gaining the victim’s trust, transferring a considerable amount into her account, and later manipulating her to input a code enabling the fraudulent withdrawal.

Adejobi stated that Anita, the complainant, explained how the suspect employed multiple identities and phone numbers, presenting himself as Igwe Richard and Ovie Henry.

“She proceeded to state that on September 11, 2023, the suspect tricked her into entering a code on her POS machine, which she did due to the trust she had for him.

“After the suspect left her place, she noticed that all the money in her POS account was withdrawn, which amounted to the sum of twenty million naira (N21,000,000), and all efforts to reach out to the suspect proved abortive.

“She also went to the Federal Medical Centre, where the suspect claimed to be working, to ask about him and she was told that none of their doctors bears such a name. Immediately, she reported the case to the Force Criminal Investigation Department Abuja, where intelligent officers swung into action to arrest the suspect,” the statement reads in part.

Investigations uncovered that the fake doctor changed his phone number and moved from Owerri to Lafia, Nasarawa State, where he was later tracked down and apprehended.

It was discovered that the suspect is engaged in organ trafficking and has connections to a contact in Toronto, Canada.

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, reaffirmed the force’s commitment to fighting crimes and ensuring the safety and security of communities.

The IGP reassured Nigerians that an extensive investigation is ongoing, and all those involved in this heinous act will be apprehended and charged appropriately.

Kanyi Daily recalls that Police in Kano State had arrested a 24-year-old man, Chidera Ugwu, suspected of being a fraudulent medical practitioner specializing in terminating unwanted pregnancies.