The Rivers State Ministry of Health has shut down 21 health facilities and arrested three persons for alleged offences ranging from operating without registration and licensed medical personnel to impersonation and other regulatory violations.
The action followed an inspection and enforcement exercise conducted by the Ministry’s Inspection-Enforcement and Anti-Quackery Committees in the third quarter of 2026.
The Ministry said the exercise was prompted by surveillance reports indicating that over 150 health facilities in the state were operating without proper registration and supervision.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Vincent Wachuku revealed during a press conference on Monday October 5, 2025 that only about 20 percent of registered health facilities comply with mandatory annual inspection and renewal of certificates of standards. According to him, the affected facilities, which comprised eight hospitals, five maternity homes and eight diagnostic facilities, were shut down across Phalga, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Etche Local Government Areas.
Wachuku said 19 of the facilities were operating without registration or below the minimum standards prescribed by the state, while one registered facility was found operating below the required standard, with no licensed doctor or nurse present during a random inspection.
He stated names and addresses of the affected facilities;
“Among the facilities sealed were Manda Clinic and Maternity in Elelenwo, Vasty Clinic in Omoku, Danny Clinic, Daba Clinic, Kambel Hospital in Abara-Etche, Havilla Hospital in Igwuruta, Golden Era Hospital in Igwuruta and Ola Oluwa Medical Centre in Igwuruta”.
The Permanent Secretary said a joint operation with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP), led to the sealing of Manda Clinic and Maternity in Elelenwo. The operation, he said, was linked to suspected child trafficking, with investigations allegedly revealing the procurement of three children within a month.
“The problem there is that, that facility was operating and racketeering on babies. The operation was sequel to suspected child trafficking, racketeering, in which a Liberian national revealed the procurement of 3 children within a month from the facility. Investigations found the facility operating without registration, no licensed medical practitioners, operators were arrested by NAPTIP, why facility was sealed up”.
At Havilla Hospital, Igwuruta, Wachuku said an unregistered facility was being operated by a man identified as Mr Isaac, who was conducting free medical outreaches. He was alleged to have been trained in Ukraine in 2013 but was operating without an MDCN licence or supervised training.
“Havilla Hospital, Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government, an unregistered facility operated by Mr Isaac who was conducting free medical outreaches. Take note, Mr Isaac, not Dr Isaac, is alleged to be a Ukraine trained 2013 doctor, he claimed, but had no Medical and Dental Council licence and he’s operating without any form of training and in an unregistered facility. He was arrested and will also be referred to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN”.
Similarly, Ola Oluwa Medical Centre, Igwuruta, was reportedly operated by Mr Sunday Ogundele, who the Permanent Secretary said had no medical training or licence but was operating a medical centre from his family residence. He was arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution for alleged impersonation, while the facility was sealed. According to Wachuku, the Ministry of Health also sealed Kambel Hospital, Abara-Etche, and Golden Era Hospital, after reportedly finding no licensed doctor or nurse operating at the facilities.
“Kambel Hospital, located in Abara-Etche in Etche Local Government, and Golden Era Hospital, both in the same place had no licensed health professional, no doctor, no nurse, and then they are operating the facility without registration. They were arrested and the facility sealed “.
At Sarah Maternity, Belema Polo, Enugu Waterside, Wachuku stated that the inspection team reportedly encountered a social media influencer operating as a traditional birth attendant. He said the facility had a patient load of over 1,000 women and daily traffic of more than 200 women. According to him, rather than immediate closure, the Ministry used the opportunity to establish practice guidelines, supervision and advertisement requirements. The Permanent Secretary said operator of the facility was issued an official warning and used as a contact point to other traditional birth attendants and maternity operators on the need for proper supervision and training.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health , Vincent Wachuku further stated that 16 other facilities were also sealed for being unregistered and failing to meet the minimum standards under the Rivers State Facility Registration Act No. 2 of 2019.
Wachuku reiterated that the Rivers State Ministry of Health is fully committed to its regulatory functions and its committed to eradicate quackery from the State as part of its mandate on health security. He further stated that the exercise was a continuation of aniti-quackery mandate to fish out all unregistered facilities and and facilities operating without minimum standard and none trained medical personnel.
He however called on all registered facilities to display their “Certificate of Standards” at the reception of their facilities, and also urged members of the public and corporate organisations to only access care in facilities with verified “Certificate of Standards”, as the quality assurance check for health security.
Wachuku appealed to members of the public to notify the Rivers State Ministry of Health of any suspicious medical practices in health facilities within Rivers State. He however, inform all health facilities of the commencement of the 2026 enforcement drive against all facilities defaulting on annual inspection and renewal of certificate of minimum standards.
