An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has
sentenced a fake doctor, Olatide Emmanuel, to death by hanging for the killing
of a woman during childbirth.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Jubril
Aladejana found the 48-year-old guilty of murder and impersonation after a
trial that began in 2025.
According to the charge, Emmanuel murdered Bosede
Falade on June 24, 2019, at Odo Ikole Compound in Erinmope Ekiti. He was also
accused of falsely presenting himself as a medical doctor on June 9, 2019, at
Ajebamidele Street in Otun Ekiti.
The prosecutor, Kunle-Shina Adeyemo, told the court
that the offences violated Section 316 and are punishable under Section 319(1)
of the Criminal Code Law of Ekiti State, 2012.
An eyewitness, Reverend Omotade, testified that the
deceased’s husband contacted him after his wife died during childbirth at the
suspect’s facility.
According to him, when he arrived at the clinic, he
saw the woman’s body on a stretcher while the accused stood nearby. After
examining the body, he suspected that the surgical procedure had been carried
out improperly and subsequently reported the case to the police in Otun Ekiti.
During the trial, Emmanuel claimed he had opened a
clinic in Erinmope Ekiti in 2019 after completing a nursing apprenticeship in
Lagos.
He told the court that the deceased approached him
while pregnant and informed him she was due for delivery. After conducting some
examinations, he said he advised that she undergo a Caesarean section, which
the woman and her husband allegedly agreed to.
Emmanuel maintained that the operation was initially
successful and that both mother and baby were alive after the procedure, but
the woman later developed complications and died.
The prosecution presented seven witnesses and tendered
several exhibits, including statements, medical reports and photographs of the
deceased. The defence counsel, Adeyinka Opaleke, did not call any witnesses.
In his ruling, Justice Aladejana said the defendant
admitted during cross-examination that he was not a qualified medical
professional but still performed surgery on a patient.
The judge described the action as reckless and
dangerous, stating that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that
the defendant’s conduct led to the woman’s death.
He subsequently convicted Emmanuel and sentenced him
to death by hanging.
Comments:
Leave a Reply