At least 18 Nigerian medical professionals practising in the United Kingdom were referred to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service between July 2025 and July 2026, with several suspended and others struck off the medical register over offences including rape, fraud, theft, drug-related offences and unauthorised practice, according to The Guardian news report.
Although the majority of cases handled by the UK tribunal did not involve Nigerians, the tribunal heard at least one case involving a Nigerian each month during this period, except in January. Out of the 18 Nigerians, 10 were suspended while three others had their names struck off the medical register.
One of those struck off was Dr Aloaye Foy-Yamah, a Nigerian-trained gynaecologist who had practised in England for more than 14 years. In May 2026, a tribunal found that he had raped a woman on the “balance of probabilities” and ruled that he posed a risk to women, leading to his removal from the medical register.
The General Medical Council had initially appealed after the MPTS imposed only a 12-month suspension. The High Court ruled that the tribunal’s decision that Foy-Yamah posed no risk to women was made without “logical foundation”. The MPTS accepted that the doctor had shown “no evidence of remediation or insight” following his suspension.
Foy-Yamah, who worked as an acute medicine consultant at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, had denied the allegations and claimed he was targeted by “Nigerian scammers” attempting to blackmail him for £20,000 . The doctor, who moved from Nigeria to London in 2002, was arrested but never charged by police .
Another major case involved Dr Olubunmi Adeagbo-Sheikh, who was erased from the medical register after a criminal conviction for benefit fraud . Tribunal records said he fraudulently obtained £11,000 in Universal Credit using a fake tenancy agreement and a non-existent address while actually living with his mother .
Although he repaid the money and completed community service, the tribunal described his conduct as “fraud from start to finish” and ruled that his “premeditated and persistent dishonesty” meant he could no longer remain registered . The tribunal also questioned documents he submitted in his defence, concluding that portions appeared to have been written with AI support .
Adeagbo-Sheikh qualified with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 2013 in Nigeria and moved to the UK in 2016, working as a junior clinical doctor at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust .
Dr Joseph Onwude, a Nigerian-trained gynaecologist, was also struck off after continuing to practise despite losing his licence . He prescribed medication and performed an HRT implant procedure while unauthorised to practise, later facing criminal conviction and professional disciplinary proceedings .
The MPTS removed Onwude from the register after concluding there was a high risk he could reoffend, stating he “remained a risk to the public” . He was found guilty at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court in March 2024 of inserting an HRT implant into a patient while not holding a licence to practise .
Other Nigerians sanctioned included Sandra Ndirika, suspended over theft and use of a cloned bank card; Anthony Shonde, who received a nine-month suspension after issuing more than 1,000 excessive prescriptions for potent opiates; and Chikaodinaka Okolo, suspended over drug-related conduct and improper prescriptions .
Dr Tijjani Shehu was suspended for 12 months after the tribunal found that he failed to properly assess a seriously ill patient who later died, although it did not find that his actions caused or contributed to the death .
The cases underline the strict professional standards governing doctors in the UK, where practitioners must remain registered with the GMC and meet its fitness-to-practise requirements. The MPTS conducts hearings for doctors referred by the GMC, with sanctions ranging from warnings and suspensions to permanent removal from the register .
