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Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested a 46-year-old man, Osaze Okungbowa, for allegedly impersonating a medical doctor, conducting deliveries and trafficking newborn babies.
The arrest followed a complaint by Princess Oke, who reported that the baby she delivered under the suspect’s care had gone missing.
While being paraded at the Edo State Police Command headquarters on Friday, Okungbowa admitted he was not a qualified medical doctor, explaining that he only trained as an auxiliary nurse and never attended a tertiary institution.
According to him, he worked as a manager in a private hospital where both qualified and unqualified personnel were employed. He denied personally carrying out the delivery, claiming he invited another woman to assist after saying he was unwell.
The suspect alleged that after the baby was delivered, he was informed the newborn required urgent medical attention and an incubator. He said he attempted to transport the infant to another hospital, but the baby died on the way.
Okungbowa further claimed that, following the infant’s death, a man identified as Mr. Godwin suggested the baby be buried, and the child was subsequently interred at an Anglican cemetery. He maintained that he never sold the baby.
However, the baby’s mother disputed the account, insisting she heard her child cry immediately after delivery before losing consciousness.
According to her, when she regained consciousness, only the placenta remained, while the baby was nowhere to be found. She said she was later informed that the infant had died but questioned the explanation, arguing that a baby delivered at 35 weeks should not simply disappear under such circumstances.
The woman expressed her belief that her child is still alive and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, said investigations are ongoing and assured that the suspect would be charged in court upon the conclusion of the probe.
