An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a 48-year-old auxiliary nurse (quack), Olatide Temitope Emmanuel, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of impersonation and the murder of a pregnant woman during an illegal caesarean section. Delivering judgment on Monday, 10 March 2026, Justice Jubril Aladejana held that the defendant falsely presented himself as a qualified medical practitioner and carried out a surgical procedure that ultimately led to the victim’s death.
The court heard that Emmanuel, who operated a private clinic in Erinmope Ekiti without any formal medical qualification, performed the caesarean section on Falade Bosede on 24 June 2019 after she and her husband sought his assistance for delivery. Evidence presented during the trial showed that the operation was poorly executed, resulting in severe complications that caused Bosede’s death the same day. An eyewitness, Rev. Omotade, testified that he discovered the victim’s body on a stretcher with visible signs of an unprofessional operation and promptly alerted the police.
Justice Aladejana described the defendant’s actions as reckless and callous, noting that Emmanuel admitted under cross-examination that he lacked the training or certification required to perform such a procedure. The court ruled that the prosecution proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced him to death by hanging. The case has once again drawn attention to the dangers of medical quackery in Nigeria, particularly in underserved communities where desperate patients often fall victim to unqualified practitioners.
