Fake doctor allegedly treating residents with injections arrested as police bust Niger robbery gang

• Niger State Police arrested a 35-year-old man accused of posing as a doctor and treating residents without medical qualifications.

• The suspect allegedly administered drugs and injections while collecting ₦30,000 from each patient.

• Police arrested five suspected members of an armed robbery gang operating around Minna and recovered a Beretta pistol.

• The robbery suspects allegedly confessed to attacks in areas including Mandela, Sauka-Kahuta and Highpoint.

Residents of Kontagora, Niger State, were reportedly putting their health in the hands of a man who allegedly had no medical training, until the police stepped in.

The Niger State Police Command has arrested a 35-year-old man, Aminu Yusuf, for allegedly pretending to be a medical doctor and treating unsuspecting residents in the Kontagora area.

Yusuf, who is from Unguwan-Tukura in Kontagora, was arrested on August 24 after the police received what they described as credible information about his activities.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, the suspect had been presenting himself as a doctor despite having no medical background or documents to prove that he was qualified to practise medicine.

The police spokesperson said preliminary investigations revealed that Yusuf allegedly administered drugs and injections to several people and collected N30,000 from each person.

“Preliminary investigation showed that the suspect had allegedly administered medications to several people, collecting N30,000 from each of them,” the police said.

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The suspect is currently being investigated and is expected to face prosecution after the completion of the investigation.

Meanwhile, the police command also announced the arrest of five suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate allegedly terrorising parts of Minna, the Niger State capital.

The suspects were arrested after investigations into a robbery incident at Sauka-Kahuta, where armed men reportedly broke into homes in the early hours of August 11 and stole laptops, phones, motorcycles and other valuables.

Police detectives from the Tudun-Wada Division later arrested the alleged gang leader, 25-year-old Isiya Auwal, on August 17 behind the U.K. Bello Theatre Centre in Minna.

Auwal allegedly led officers to other suspected members of the group — Muhammad Tanko, 27; Francis Yusuf, also known as Sisko, 35; and Amir Musa, 28 — who were arrested in Tafa, Dikko Junction and Keffi, Nasarawa State.

The police said the suspects confessed to carrying out robbery operations around areas including Mandela, Sauka-Kahuta, Barkin-Sale, Farm Centre and Highpoint in Minna.

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During the investigation, the suspects allegedly identified 50-year-old Ismaila Abdullahi of Angwan-Roka, Maitumbi, as the person responsible for keeping their firearm.

Abdullahi was arrested on August 19, leading to the recovery of a Beretta pistol and two rounds of live ammunition.

The police also alleged that the gang sold stolen items to a receiver identified as Ahmed, popularly known as Genuine, from Maitumbi.

The five suspects remain in police custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the alleged receiver.