Martin Okpe: a fake doctor for nine years

Martins Ugwu Okpe, a fake doctor who had used the certificate of his friend to work for nine years at the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, the Nigerian capital, was on Tuesday arraigned on five counts of impersonation and stealing of certificates before the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole in Abuja.

Okpe had stolen the certificate and assumed the identity of one Daniel Davidson George to secure job as a medical doctor with the Federal Civil Service Commission, FCSC in 2006.

His real identity was revealed last June following a petition to FCSC by three medical doctors who complained that his behaviour was out of tune with practitioners of the noble profession.

Subsequent investigations by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, the body charged with the responsibility of keeping the records of all medical practitioners in Nigeria revealed that Okpe has been working with the certificate of Dr. Daniel Davidson George, a medical doctor currently undergoing his residency programme in Jos.

The 44 years old was accused of stealing certificates ‎of exemption of the National Youth Service Corps, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level), all belonging to the Daniel Davidson George which he tendered before the F C SC in Ebonyi State to get employed on August 2006.

One of the counts against him read, “That you Martins Ugwu Okpe, male, aged 44 years, of the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on or about March 13, 2006 at unspecified hour in Karu Abuja of the Abuja Division committed stealing; and did steal Certificate of Bachelor of Medicine of Surgery and National Youth Service Corps certificate of exemption dated February 8, 2005 with serial number 000027400 all property of Mr. Daniel Davidson George, being the certificate awarded to him by Academic’s Senate of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State dated August 29, 2002 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 383 and punishable under section 390 of the Criminal Code Law.”
‎Martins pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him and his counsel, Mr. Otemu Ogenvo, applied for his bail on the condition that the alleged offence was bailable.

The prosecution counsel, did not oppose the bail application and the court consequently admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N1 million and two sureties in likes sum.

The Court stated that the sureties must be a civil servant in a federal ministry or parastatal agency and must not be less than grade level 12.