Quack doctor arrested after 11 years’ practice

The police in Lagos State on Monday paraded an alleged quack doctor, Celestine Yolonfun, who was arrested in the Apapa area of the state. 

Punch's correspondent gathered that 32-year-old Yolonfun had been practising as a doctor since 2005 after he dropped out of a nursing school in the Benin Republic.

Punch learnt that Yolonfun was arrested on Wednesday by operatives of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, Yaba.

It was gathered that a pregnant woman, who was due for delivery, allegedly died in Yolonfun’s hospital, and her husband reported the doctor to the police at the SCIID.

Punch was told that the police went to Yolonfun’s hospital – Be Well Hospital – on Liverpool Road, Apapa, and arrested him.

Yolonfun, who hails from Badagry, Lagos State, told Punch that he had been practising since 2005 and only two patients had died in his hospital.

The suspect confessed that he paid a colleague N70,000 to obtain fake certificates of the Nigerian Medical Association and the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

The state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said the police had contacted all the medical associations the suspect claimed to be registered with and they had confirmed him to be a fake doctor.

He said, “The suspect was arrested and was found to have been in this illegal practice since 2005. He operated a makeshift hospital in the Liverpool area of Apapa.

“We found a fake University of Ibadan MBBS certificate, a fake Dental and Medical Council of Nigeria certificate and a fake Corporate Affairs Commission certificate in his house.

“The professional bodies have been contacted by the police, and the suspect had been confirmed to be a fake medical practitioner.”