The Anambra State Government has intensified its campaign against quackery in the health sector with the arrest of a 47-year-old woman, Mrs. Onyinyechi Esther Charles, over allegations of carrying out surgical procedures without the required medical and surgical qualifications.

Mrs. Charles, an indigene of Abia State who is married to a man from Nteje, allegedly operated a traditional birth attendant (TBA) facility in Umueri, Anambra East Local Government Area, where she is accused of performing caesarean sections, conducting normal vaginal deliveries and carrying out other surgical procedures.

The facility has also been linked to reported cases of medical complications and fatalities.

According to the Anambra State Ministry of Health, the arrest followed investigations initiated by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to eliminate illegal medical practice and protect the lives of residents.

The ministry stated that during interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted to performing caesarean sections, normal deliveries and other surgical procedures without the required qualifications or authorisation.

It further revealed that she was previously known as Eze Nwanyi before later becoming a church minister and presenting herself as a surgeon.

During an inspection of the facility on Sunday, July 12, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, accompanied by the Mayor of Anambra East Local Government Area, Hon. Ifeanyi Chinweze, and security personnel, reportedly recovered surgical instruments and other medical equipment believed to have been used in the alleged unauthorised procedures.

Mrs Charles

Hospital beds where patients were reportedly treated were also found within the premises, while officials further discovered what appeared to be a shrine and an altar inside the facility.

The state government said the premises have been confiscated pending the outcome of legal proceedings, while the suspect will be arraigned before a competent court.

The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has asked the Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to end its rhetoric and immediately provide Nigerians with a comprehensive account of the trillions of naira realized from the removal of fuel subsidy since May 2023.

APM’s demand is predicated on the worsening economic hardship and poverty rate, high cost of living, collapsed public facilities and yawning infrastructure deficit across the country since the emergence of the Tinubu administration despite huge national inflow including the over N20 trillion proceed from the removal of fuel subsidy, which the administration promised would be channeled towards improving the welfare of Nigerians.

This is contained in a press release issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf.

He said: “For over three years, Nigerians have endured unprecedented hardship following President Tinubu’s May 29, 2023 declaration that ‘subsidy is gone’. This came with an instant surge in fuel price from below ₦200 per litre to now over N1,500 per liter setting off a chain reaction that pushed transport fares, food prices, school fees, medical bills, house rents, electricity costs and the prices of everyday goods and services far beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.

“More distressing is reports of massive corruption, diversion and frittering of bulk of the funds accruable to the Federal Government while officials continue to bandy figures and fictitious achievements

“Under the APC administration hunger has become a national emergency. Millions of families are going without daily meals. Small businesses are collapsing under rising operating costs. The purchasing power of workers has been abysmally degraded, while poverty and unemployment continue to rise at alarming rates. Across the country, frustration is growing as more citizens struggle to survive.

“Today under the APC, Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit has hit an estimated $2.3 trillion, with experts stating that the gap would require approximately $100 billion annually over the next 30 years.”

Continuing, the APM spokesman said “despite the heavy premiums citizens pay daily, the APC administration is not forthcoming with a transparent account of the trillions accrued to it from the removal of subsidy. No comprehensive public record has been presented to demonstrate how much has been realized, how much has been spent, and whether those expenditures have translated into measurable improvements in the lives of citizens.

“The vague claims by the APC government that the proceed is being invested in critical sectors without real figures and specific project or programme is completely unacceptable and cannot substitute for transparency and accountability.”

The APM therefore demanded that the Federal Government should immediately publish a detailed and independently verifiable impact assessment of the subsidy removal policy.

“Nigerians deserve to know the exact amount saved since May 2023, the projects funded and their locations.

“The APM is not opposed to reforms that genuinely advance national development. However, the APC government cannot continue to celebrate figures on paper while millions of citizens can no longer afford decent meals, healthcare, transportation, or quality education. The true measure of any economic reform is not the volume of official pronouncements but its tangible impact on the lives of the people,” it further stated.

The APM therefore called on the Tinubu administration to rise above political rhetoric and immediately release a comprehensive public report detailing the total subsidy savings since May 2023, all expenditures made from the fund, the beneficiaries of every intervention, and the measurable outcomes achieved.

“The APM, the voice of Nigerians today, is not asking the Tinubu-led APC Federal Government to do anything extraordinary. We are simply demanding the transparency and accountability that an APM administration would have seamlessly demonstrated by publicly disclosing and accounting for every kobo that belongs to Nigerians,” Yusuf concluded.

…Youths protest at Och’Idoma’s palace, block roads with corpses, demand action

No fewer than 27 persons have been killed in separate attacks on communities in Benue and Plateau states, following fresh assaults by suspected armed groups that have left residents mourning and demanding urgent government intervention.

In Benue State, at least 18 persons were killed in separate attacks on communities in Otukpo Local Government Area, while nine members of the same family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed in an attack on Kum and Wereng-Camp communities in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.

In Benue South, suspected armed herdsmen reportedly launched attacks on Akpachi village in Ugboju community and Otukpo-Nobi community over the weekend.

The first attack occurred on Friday when the assailants invaded Akpachi village, killing two farmers on their farmland. Their bodies were recovered on Saturday and buried.

Barely 24 hours later, at about 4am on Sunday, the attackers struck Otukpo-Nobi community, killing at least 16 persons and injuring several others.

The renewed violence came about two weeks after the killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, and his companion, Yakubu Isah, who were ambushed and killed at Okutu community in Otukpo while returning from a peace meeting in Idekpa, Ohimini Local Government Area.

The latest killings triggered outrage in Otukpo as angry youths stormed the palace of the Och’Idoma with the bodies of victims, disrupting an ongoing church service and demanding decisive action from the authorities.

The protesters, chanting war songs, accused government and security agencies of failing to protect their communities, insisting that the recurring attacks must stop.

The protest caused tension in the town as youths blocked major roads, leaving commuters stranded for hours.

A resident, Ebi Adoyi, who joined the protest, said the attacks had thrown affected communities into mourning, adding that more casualties could be recorded as searches for missing persons continue.

“After killing two people in Akpachi on Friday, they attacked Otukpo-Nobi, killing 16 persons, including women and children. My neighbour lost her elder sister and her children in that attack,” he said.

Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the attacks, linking them to possible reprisals following the killing of the MACBAN chairman.

He said the first attack occurred when three villagers went to their farms in Akpachi.

“The attackers came and killed two of them. One escaped and alerted the community. We recovered the corpses on Saturday and buried them. We had combed the bushes believing the attackers had fled, but early Sunday morning, around 4am, we received reports that they had besieged Otukpo-Nobi, killing several people and injuring many others,” Ogiri said.

He added that efforts were ongoing to relocate survivors to safer locations, provide medical assistance and strengthen security in the affected areas.

Meanwhile, Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the Benue attacks, describing them as barbaric and an assault on the lives and peace of the people.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the governor directed security agencies to intensify surveillance, collaborate with neighbouring states, track down the attackers and ensure they are prosecuted.

In Plateau State, the attack on Kum and Wereng-Camp communities in Riyom Local Government Area occurred late Saturday night.

Residents said the gunmen stormed the communities at about 11:30pm and operated for over an hour, shooting indiscriminately and forcing residents to flee into nearby bushes.

A resident, Precious Tok, said the attackers invaded a home and killed nine members of the same family, including a two-month-old baby.

The village head was also reportedly attacked and sustained critical injuries.

National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwong, confirmed the incident, saying the attackers struck under the cover of darkness and unleashed violence on helpless residents.

He said security agencies had been alerted and expressed hope that those responsible would be arrested and brought to justice.

The latest attack has heightened fears among residents, who called on the Federal and Plateau State Governments to strengthen security measures in Riyom and other vulnerable communities.

Security personnel have reportedly been deployed to the affected areas, while many residents remain displaced and apprehensive over possible further attacks.

Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Plateau State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. (Vanguard)