Police arrest 60-year-old fake doctor treating COVID-19 patients
The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the police have arrested Charles George, an alleged 60-year-old fake doctor treating COVID-19 patients.
Daily Times gathered that George was arrested in his one-room apartment at Block 1, Julius Berger Junior Staff Quarters, popularly known as Berger Camp, in Kubwa by police detectives from the office of the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory.
According to the police, “George has been vetted as a regular customer of the FCDA Police Station and Kubwa Area Command Headquarters for several matters connected to mixed medicine and extortion of his clients since 2016.”
The police presented a fake letterhead and COVID-19 cure threat SMS through which the fake doctor treating COVID-19 was allegedly blackmailing his clients and urged the MDCN to have urgent medical attention on some clients that the suspect had administered treatment on.
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According to The Punch, the police also recovered items from him such as Camal Syringe (for abortion), kidney dish and medical trail.
The Deputy Registrar and Head of the Inspectorate Department of the MDCN, Dr Victor Gbenro, described the arrest as “a major breakthrough”.
He said, “The arrest of the suspected fake medical/alternative medicine practitioner, by name Dr Charles George, at his Kubwa premises is a major breakthrough by the MDCN under the leadership of the Registrar, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi.
“Acting on an intelligence report from the IG intelligence team, the Inspectorate Department of the MDCN as directed by the registrar effected the successful arrest of the fake doctor, who has been defrauding unsuspecting members of the public and posing as a member of the NCDC COVID-19 team.
“The suspect is alleged to have been practising alternative medicine without registration or licence from the MDCN, which is statutorily mandated to regulative the practice of medical, dental and alternative medicine in Nigeria.
“Investigation revealed that his practice is not known or registered by the FCDA Private Health Facility Registration Agency. The police have commenced further investigation and prosecution of the suspect. This is one among several efforts of the council at sanitising the medical profession in the country.”
