Police arrest ‘fake doctor’ over alleged unauthorised surgery in Cross River
by Moronfolu Adeyemi · The Eagle OnlineOperatives of the Cross River State Police Command have arrested a 33-year-old man, Otu Bassey, for allegedly posing as a doctor and performing an unauthorised hernia surgery on a 60-year-old man in Ekori, Yakurr Local Government Area of the state.
The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Eitokpah, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday in Calabar, the state capital.
Eitokpah said the alleged surgery was performed at a private clinic in Ekori on September 8, 2026, after which the patient, identified simply as Ukpan, was discharged the same day.
According to the statement, the patient’s condition worsened three days later, on September 11, 2026, at about 4pm, prompting Bassey to take him to Ugep General Hospital.
The statement read: “The Cross River State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding an alleged unauthorised hernia surgery performed on Ukpan, surname withheld, ‘m’, 60 years, at a private clinic in Ekori, Yakurr Local Government Area, after the patient reportedly developed complications following the procedure.
“Preliminary information indicates that the patient underwent the procedure on September 8, 2026 and was discharged the same day. On September 11, 2026, at about 4 pm, he was reportedly taken to Ugep General Hospital by Bassey Otu Bassey, ‘M’, 33 years, following the reported complications.”
Eitokpah said tension later escalated at about 9pm when the patient’s family members, who were suspicious of the suspect’s qualifications, attempted to attack him at the hospital.
He said police officers on duty intervened, prevented the mob action and moved the suspect to protective custody at the Ugep Police Division.
The PPRO said the command subsequently began verifying the suspect’s professional status and qualifications.
Eitokpah said: “During preliminary questioning, the suspect reportedly stated that he is a theatre assistant who undertook the procedure in the absence of his principal.
“The police are currently verifying his professional status and qualifications, as well as the circumstances under which the procedure was conducted.”
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He added that medical personnel were also investigating the cause of the patient’s complications to determine whether they were linked to the alleged surgery.
The police said no conclusion had been reached on criminal liability pending the outcome of investigations and medical reports.
The Command, however, cautioned members of the public against taking the law into their hands, assuring that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted.
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