What starts as a promise of hope can quickly turn into a terrifying nightmare when the person holding the stethoscope is wearing a mask of lies.
For years, trust was currency for a man in Cross River State who managed to fool an entire community into believing he was a licensed healer. But behind the white coat and medical equipment lay a desperate dropout funding his secrets through dangerous impersonation and preying on vulnerable families who trusted him with their lives.
The illusion finally shattered thanks to Mrs. Edemawan Samuel, a mother whose maternal instincts saved her family from a deeper trap. Seeking secure futures for her children, she handed over N500,000 to the suspect, Udeme Emmanuel Ekpeme, believing he could land them jobs at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. Instead of securing their futures, Ekpeme pocketed the cash to pay off his own debt, while casually administering injections to a mother and her children under the false guise of a qualified doctor.
The web of deceit began to unravel when Ekpeme greedily demanded an extra N40,000 for “bank charges.” That final red flag prompted Mrs. Samuel to confide in her brother, exposing the horrifying reality that the man treating their illnesses was actually a scammer. When police finally moved in, arresting the suspect at the Uwanse Police Division, they recovered incriminating medical exhibits and uncovered a chilling confession: Ekpeme admitted to treating at least 15 unsuspecting patients over a 12-year span, masking his own academic dropout status with borrowed diagnostic gear.
As the suspect remains locked in police custody, the Cross River State Police Command, through PPRO ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, has issued a stern warning to the public to steer clear of unlicensed practitioners. It is a sobering reminder of how fragile safety can be when credentials go unchecked—and why a doctor’s true qualification should never be taken at face value.
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