'My sister die afta injection for chemist' - Brother of 20-year-old Maureen Enruchi claim

Di death of 20 year old Maureen Best Enruchi wey die afta one patent medicine shop owner give her injection for Ndele, Emohua local govment area of Rivers State na di reason wey dey ginger di Rivers State Anti-quackery committee to seal unlicensed medical facilities and arrest dia proprietors and workers.

According to Gift Ayinwe, elder brother of Late Maureen, na on 11 May 2026 she complain say she no well as her body dey pain her. E say e give her money to go treat herself and den e go work only for am to come back to meet her deadibody.

"I hear say she go dis chemist [patent medicine store] for our area go buy medicine.

Di chemist woman tell her say e be like say she get malaria and tell her to take injection, not tablet, and na so she give her injection.

My sister come complain say her eye dey turn her and her belle dey pain her so she give her chair to sidon for sometime bifor she come go church. Na for di church she slump and by di time dem rush her go di Primary health centre for Ndele campus, she don die."

Gift say di family still dey in a state of shock as dem neva still believe say dia sister don die.

E say police don arrest di chemist woman as dem don begin investigate di mata, e add say, im no go want make anoda pesin go through wetin im sister suffer.

"Notin dem go do wey go bring my sister back to life, but I no go want make anoda pesin go through dis kain pain. We don cry tire, wetin we go do now?" E ask.

Police authorities confam say di mata dey under investigation.

‘We need to sanitize di healthcare system’ - Anti-quackery committee

Dis patent medicine shop for Ndele dey among di six medical facilities wey di Rivers State Anti-quakery committee seal and arrest pesins wey dey run dem.

Dis Anti-quakery committee dey made up of members from di Rivers State Ministry of Health, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and oda affiliate health associations for di state.

Permanent Secretary Rivers State Ministry of Health and chairman of di committee, Dr. Vincent Wachukwu say dem don arrest some quack medical personnel and seal di medical facilities wey include:

1. Plariv Hospital Kreigeni road, Omoku for Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA. Dis 10 bed medical facility dey owned by an unlicensed medical practitioner from Jos, Plateau State and e dey conduct surgeries without training or license. Dem seal di facility and arrest di proprietor and dem go also carry am to court.

2. Good Shepherd Hospital Nkaru Street Omoku Onelga. Di 10-bed facility dey run by pesin wey claim say e be Psychology graduate from Abia State University ABSU with a fake Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) license. E dey conduct surgeries without training and dey run di place with 20 quack nurses. Dem arrest di proprietor for impersonation and certificate forgery, revoke di registration and certificate of standards and seal up di place.

3. Blessed Goodnews Clinic for 31 Bonny street, Port Harcourt. Di facility dey registered with rented medical license and run by a pesin wey no get any medical training. Dem dey carry out surgeries by unlicensed practitioners and dey train quack nurses. While di facility dey sealed, di doctors wit di rented certificates go face investigation by di Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria MDCN for misconduct while dem don issue a warrant of arrest for di proprietor for impersonation and practicing medicine without training and license.

4. Estate Clinic Okahia Estate, off East-West road Obio Akpor LGA. Dis clinic dey run without registration and unlicensed health personnel. Di facility bin don dey sealed bifor by di State Ministry of Health but di proprietor break di seal and reopen operations. Dem don seal di faculty and arrest all staff of di facility and dem go face prosecution.

5. El Dona Hospital for Port Harcourt wey dey operate without registration and engaged in alleged child trafficking. Polive don anlready arrest all di workers and di anti-quakery committee don seal up di facility.

Permanent Secretary Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr. Vincent Wachukwu say di operations of unregistered and unlicensed medical personnel na big danger to pipo life and so any wia dem dey operate, pipo get to report dem to di committee as dem dey committed to sanitize di healthcare system.

E add say, "we dey ask evri organisation and individual wey wan carry out any form of free medical outreach say dem must obtain permission and approval from di ministry bifor embarking on such and any defaulter go face di law."

E also appreciate di support of security operatives for di raids and arrest of some unlicensed medical personnel and facilities and ask make dem continue to support dem.

Wetin be di punishment for such quacks?

Dr. Wachukwu say many pesins wey dem don arrest for quackery dey various stages of prosecution as some of dem dey face court case while odas dey under investigation by di police and oda relevant authorities but e say di punishment for dem dey depend on di charge wey dem bring against dem afta di investigation and so e dey different on a case by case basis.

E come advise kontri pipo to make sure way di medical facility dem dey go, especially private heath facilities, dey properly registered with Govment and get all di appropriate licenses and permits dem suppose get with properly trained medical personnel wey don go through di requisite medical education and training.

E say such hospitals dey boldly display dia current licenses as most of such dem dey renew evri year and dat na wetin patients suppose look out for wen dem go such facilities.

"But dat no go stop us as we dey do evritin in our power to clean up di healthcare system and make sure say unlicensed and untrained pesins go face di law. So if you see wia dem dey operate, report and we go take action." e tok.