The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested a woman, Ogechi Gift Okechukwu, and a doctor from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, for allegedly defrauding the public through a fraudulent appeal for funds for a surgery.
The command’s spokesperson, ASP Musa Muhammed, confirmed the arrests to The Whistler on Monday.
Ogechi and the doctor were reported to have conspired to deceive unsuspecting individuals by falsely claiming she needed financial assistance for surgery. Reports indicate that the medical doctor, whose identity has not been confirmed, aided Ogechi by falsifying medical prescriptions, records, and surgery details to make her appear critically ill.
To further convince donors, Ogechi allegedly presented fake scan results, staged a blood transfusion, and shared images of herself on a drip.
Iwaoma Susan Joseph, a Facebook influencer who unknowingly assisted in raising N800,000, later raised the alarm upon discovering the alleged scam.
Another Facebook user, Vivian Udoka, added that Ogechi, said to be a nurse, exploited her medical background to make the deception more convincing. Udoka further revealed that Ogechi had delivered her three children when she was pregnant.
The duo was arrested after incriminating evidence from their conversations was discovered on Ogechi’s phone.
The Whistler gathered that the suspects are currently in police custody as investigations into the fraudulent scheme continue.
Further investigations revealed that Ogechi was diagnosed with intestinal obstruction in 2021, a condition that caused her to frequently vomit blood-mixed excreta. However, despite recovering, she reached out to the Demi Care Foundation in October 2024, seeking financial assistance for medical bills.
The foundation stated, “Demi Care Foundation was contacted about her case by Jennifer Owolabi, who took pity on her. We decided to crowdfund for her and successfully raised over a million naira.
“She did video calls from FMC Yenagoa, wore a fake drip, and staged her deception.”
The foundation also called for a full investigation into the medical doctor’s role, stating, “We demand a thorough probe into the activities of the said doctor at FMC Yenagoa, whose signature consistently appears on her prescriptions.”
