A 39-year-old man arrested for allegedly impersonating a medical doctor in Cross River State has admitted treating at least 15 patients despite dropping out of medical school.
The suspect, Udeme Emmanuel Ekpeme, was arrested by operatives of the Uwanse Police Division in Calabar South Local Government Area after a complaint by Mrs Edemawan Samuel, who accused him of impersonation, obtaining money by false pretence and running an illegal mobile clinic.
According to the police, Ekpeme allegedly collected N500,000 from Samuel after promising to secure employment for her children at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).
In a statement, the suspect said he left medical school but purchased medical equipment in an attempt to raise funds to return and complete his studies.
“If I can raise money to return to medical school, I will. So I bought medical equipment for testing so that whenever patients come, I can use them to diagnose them,” he said.
He claimed that people who received treatment from him recommended his services to others.
“Often, when one patient sees that my treatment is effective, the person recommends another,” he added.
Ekpeme said he treated patients between 2014 and 2026, despite not being a licensed medical practitioner.
He also admitted receiving N500,000 from the complainant for the supposed UCTH employment arrangement but said he used the money to repay a debt.
“I was already owing somebody N700,000 and they had been disturbing me to pay. They even seized my Android phone, so I used the money to offset the debt,” he confessed.
Samuel told police that she became suspicious when Ekpeme requested an additional N40,000, claiming it was needed to complete banking processes for the employment arrangement.
“When he demanded the N40,000, I had a strong feeling he just wanted to collect the money and chop. I contacted my brother, who said he was a scammer, and we reported the matter to the police,” she said.
She also alleged that Ekpeme had administered injections on her and her two children while presenting himself as a qualified doctor.
The Cross River State Police Command confirmed the arrest, saying preliminary investigations showed that the suspect falsely claimed to be a medical doctor and allegedly obtained money from the complainant under the guise of securing jobs at UCTH.
Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, said exhibits connected to the alleged offences had been recovered and that the suspect remained in custody.
He warned members of the public against seeking medical care from unlicensed practitioners.
