The Rivers State Ministry of Health has shut down 21 health facilities and arrested three persons in a fresh crackdown on quackery, unregistered medical practice and other regulatory violations across four local government areas of the state.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry and Chairman of the Anti-Quackery Committee, Dr. Vincent Wachukwu, disclosed this on Monday during the ministry’s third-quarter 2026 press briefing in Port Harcourt.
Wachukwu said the affected facilities comprised eight hospitals, five maternity centres and eight diagnostic centres located in Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Etche Local Government Areas.
He said the enforcement exercise followed surveillance reports indicating that more than 150 health facilities were operating without registration or supervision by the ministry.
According to him, only about 20 per cent of registered health facilities were complying with the mandatory annual inspection and renewal of their Certificates of Standards.
Wachukwu said 19 of the 21 facilities sealed were operating without registration and below the minimum standards prescribed by the state government.
“One registered facility was also found to be operating below the required standard, as no licensed health worker, including a doctor or nurse, was present during a random inspection,” he said.
The affected facilities included Manda Clinic, Elelenwo; Vasty Clinic, Omoku; Danny Clinic; Daba Clinic; Kambel Hospital, Abara-Etche; HavillaHospital, Igwuruta; Golden Era Hospital, Igwuruta; and Ola-Oluwa Medical Centre, Igwuruta.
Wachukwu disclosed that the ministry also carried out a joint operation with the Rivers State Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at Manda Clinic and Maternity in Elelenwo, following allegations of child trafficking.
“The operation followed allegations of child trafficking linked to the facility, after a Liberian national reportedly disclosed the procurement of three children from the facility within a month,” he said.
He said investigations revealed that the facility was unregistered and operating without licensed medical practitioners, adding that its operators were arrested by NAPTIP while the ministry sealed the premises.
At Havilla Hospital, Igwuruta, the ministry reportedly discovered that the facility was unregistered and operated by a man identified as Isaac, who claimed to have undergone medical training in Ukraine in 2013.
Wachukwu said Isaac had no licence from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and was practising without the required supervision.
“He was arrested and is expected to be referred to the MDCN for further action,” he said.
Ola-Oluwa Medical Centre was also sealed after its operator, identified as Sunday Ogundele, was allegedly found to have no medical training or licence. Ogundele, who reportedly operated the facility from his family residence, was arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution over alleged impersonation.
Kambel Hospital and Golden Era Hospital were similarly shut after inspectors found that no licensed doctor or nurse was operating at the facilities.
Wachukwu, however, said the ministry adopted a regulatory rather than punitive approach in dealing with Sarah Maternity at Belema Polo, Enugu Waterside, Borokiri, operated by a popular social media traditional birth attendant influencer.
He said the facility had more than 1,000 women on its patient register and recorded daily traffic of over 200 women.
“We used the inspection to establish practice guidelines, supervision requirements and appropriate advertising standards for the facility,” he said.
The operator was issued an official warning and designated as a contact point for other traditional birth attendants and maternity facilities on proper supervision and training.
Wachukwu said 16 other facilities sealed during the exercise were unregistered and operating below the minimum standards stipulated under the Rivers State Facility Registration Law No. 2 of 2019.
He reiterated the ministry’s commitment to eliminating quackery and unregistered medical facilities, directing all registered facilities to prominently display their Certificates of Standards.
He urged residents and organisations to seek treatment only from facilities with verified certificates and report suspected quackery or unsafe medical practices to the ministry.
He also announced the commencement of the 2026 enforcement drive against facilities that fail to comply with annual inspection and renewal requirements, while commending security agencies and professional bodies for supporting the campaign to uphold standards in healthcare delivery.
