The Rivers State Government has closed six illegal health facilities and arrested two people for running unapproved medical operations in different parts of the state.
The operation, carried out on Friday, August 22, 2025, was led by the Rivers State Interprofessional Anti-Quackery Committee. According to the committee’s spokesperson, Hope Avundaa, the exercise focused on unlicensed clinics, pharmacies, and makeshift hospitals that were putting lives at risk.
One of the facilities, the committee said, was a three-bedroom apartment converted into a hospital. The operator, now in custody, allegedly posed as a doctor and carried out maternity and surgical procedures without a valid licence. Officials confirmed that the facility’s registration had been revoked more than 10 years ago and that no certified medical personnel were present during the inspection.
In another case, a three-room facility was discovered to be performing surgeries and training auxiliary nurses under the supervision of a doctor who had only completed his internship one month ago. Both the facility owner and the young doctor have been referred to the Rivers State Ministry of Health and the Nigerian Medical Association’s disciplinary panel for further investigation.
The crackdown also reached a pharmacy in Omagwa, which was run by an auxiliary nurse. The nurse was allegedly conducting medical consultations and giving intravenous drugs to patients. The pharmacy was sealed, and the case was sent to the Director of Pharmaceutical Services for action.
In Okporo, a residential duplex operating as both a medical centre and an unregistered nursing school was also shut down. Its proprietor has been summoned for questioning.
The committee said its team also investigated a patent medicine dealer in Aluu, identified as Rejoice Ogubie, who was accused of administering intravenous drugs and providing birth services. She denied the allegations but was issued a stern warning and told to limit her practice to approved over-the-counter sales.
Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Rivers State, Diamond Tamunokuro, expressed concern over the trend. “There is a pressing need for proper orientation of young doctors to maintain ethical standards in their practice and resist pressures to work in quack facilities,” he said.
