Police Arrest Fake Doctor Over Alleged ₦500,000 Job Scam in Cross River

The Cross River State Police Command has arrested Udeme Emmanuel Ekpeme, 39, for allegedly posing as a medical doctor and defrauding a woman of ₦500,000 with a false promise to secure employment for her children at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

According to the Command’s spokesperson, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, the suspect was arrested by officers from the Uwanse Division in Calabar South following a petition filed by Mrs. Edemawan Samuel. She alleged that Ekpeme claimed to be a doctor and convinced her to pay the money in exchange for job placements at UCTH.

Police said preliminary investigations suggest the suspect obtained the money through false pretences. Investigators also recovered items believed to be connected to the alleged offences, while Ekpeme remains in police custody.

The Commissioner of Police, Rashid Afegbua, has directed a comprehensive investigation to determine the full scope of the suspect’s activities and identify any accomplices or additional victims. The police said the suspect will be charged to court if investigations establish sufficient evidence.

The case comes weeks after a similar incident in Edo State, where police arrested a man accused of impersonating a medical doctor and allegedly engaging in illegal childbirth services and newborn trafficking.

The allegations remain under investigation, and the suspect is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.