Zone 2 Police Clamps Down On Illegal Hospital, Arrests Fake Medical Doctor Operating With SSS Certificate.

By Frank Oshanugor

Luck has run against 38-year-old Tayo Shakirudeen, a senior secondary school graduate who has been operating an illegal hospital, posing to be a trained medical doctor specialising in surgery. He has been arrested by the police while his hospital has been sealed.

In a media briefing and parade of the suspect on Tuesday at Zone 2 Police Headquarters, Onikan Lagos, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 (Lagos and Ogun States), Olatoye Durosinmi told journalists that Shakirudeen was arrested by the Anti-Piracy Unit of the Zonal Command.

His arrest was sequel to an intelligence gathered through members of Elepe community concerning the activities of the suspect who had been operating as the Medical Director of Skylink Medical Centre situated at Ako-Okuta Block Industry behind Uncle Bayus Schools, Elepe-Ikorodu, Lagos.

The arresting team of detectives was led by the officer in-charge of Zonal Anti-Piracy Unit, Mariam Ogunmolasuyi, a Superintendent of Police. The detectives had swung into action; arrested the suspect instantly, conducted a search and recovered two suspected forged certificates of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Osun State and Nigeria Medical and Dental Council.

Also recovered were immovable hospitality equipment. Meanwhile the hospital complex has been sealed pending the outcome of investigation according to the police boss.

The suspect had reportedly confessed to investigators that he got the certificates by embarking on electronic production of the certificates as he neither obtained any degree from the University nor certificate from the Medical council as his real qualification is SSCE.

Answering questions from journalists during the parade, Shakirudeen said he had a total of Six (6) staff; Two (2) of whom are trained nurses while Four (4) are amateurs. According to him, he worked as Nursing Assistant at Fabo Medical Centre Majidun area of Lagos before establishing his own hospital and he has successfully carried out three(3) surgeries consisting of two Cesarean Session and one appendicitis during his three years of unlawful practice as a medical practitioner while investigation so far revealed that he has been operating the hospital without a qualified/certified medical practitioner.

According to him, he usually charged N150,000 to carry out one surgery and his patients never suspected that he was not trained as a medical doctor nor qualified as one.

The AIG has therefore urged members of the public not to hesitate in giving information to the Police whenever they suspect any unlawful practice of any kind.
Meanwhile the Zonal Command is working with the ministries of Health in Lagos and Ogun States to rid the Zone of such untrained practitioners.