Fake surgeon sentenced to death by hanging for murder in Ekiti

A fake nurse who impersonated a surgeon, Olatide Temitope Emmanuel, has been sentenced to death by hanging for murder by an Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

The 48-year-old convict was arraigned before Justice Jubril Aladejana on December 11, 2025, on a two-count charge bordering on murder and impersonation.
The charge stated that the convict, on June 24, 2019, at Odo Ikole compound, Erinmope Ekiti, within the jurisdiction of the court, murdered one Falade Bosede. It further stated that on June 9, 2019, at Ajebamidele Street, Otun Ekiti, he falsely represented himself as a medical doctor.
According to the prosecutor, the offences are contrary to Section 316 and punishable under Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.
An eyewitness, Rev. Omotade, in his statement to the police, said the deceased’s husband called to inform him that his wife died during childbirth at Erinmope around 9:00 pm.
He said that when he got to the hospital, he saw the corpse on a stretcher while the self-acclaimed doctor stood beside it. After critically examining the body of the deceased, he discovered that the operation had been carried out unprofessionally.
He added that he later contacted the police at Otun Ekiti to take over the matter and conduct a full investigation.
In his testimony before the court, the defendant said he was a nursing apprentice at a hospital in Lagos State and was issued a certificate after completing his training. He said he later established his own clinic in Erinmope Ekiti in 2019.
He stated that the deceased was not originally his patient but came to inform him that she was due for childbirth. After examining her, he said he informed her and her husband that she would have to deliver through a caesarean section, and they agreed.
According to him, the operation was successful and both the mother and child were alive, but the mother later developed complications and died.
To prove his case, the prosecutor, Kunle-Shina Adeyemo, called seven witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statements, medical reports, and photographs of the deceased, among other exhibits.
The defendant spoke in his defence through his counsel, Adeyinka Opaleke, but called no witnesses.
In his judgment, Justice Aladejana said the confession of the defendant under cross-examination that he was not a qualified medical professional, yet proceeded to operate on a human being, knowing he had no training or certification to do so, portrayed him as inherently callous.
“I find the defendant wickedly reckless in his actions on the now deceased Bosede Falade,” the judge said.
He added that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the reckless actions of the defendant caused her death on June 24, 2019.
“The defendant is accordingly found guilty as charged. The judgment of this court is that you, Olatide Temitope Emmanuel, be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May the Lord have mercy on your soul,” the judge pronounced.