An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a 48-year-old man, Olatide Temitope Emmanuel, to death by hanging for murder and impersonation after a botched surgical procedure allegedly carried out by him led to the death of a pregnant woman.
Delivering judgment, Justice Jubril Aladejana held that the convict performed a medical operation without any recognised medical qualification, resulting in the death of the victim, Bosede Falade.
Emmanuel was arraigned on December 11, 2025, on a two-count charge bordering on murder and impersonating a medical doctor.
According to the charge, the incident occurred on June 24, 2019, at Odo Ikole Compound in Erinmope Ekiti, where the defendant was said to have carried out a surgical procedure on the pregnant woman that resulted in her death.
The prosecution also accused him of falsely presenting himself as a medical doctor on June 9, 2019, at Ajebamidele Street in Otun Ekiti.
Prosecutors said the offences contravened Sections 316 and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law of Ekiti State, 2012.
Eyewitness account
During the trial, an eyewitness, Reverend Omotade, told the court he received a call from the deceased woman’s husband informing him that his wife had died while giving birth at a clinic in Erinmope Ekiti.
He said he went to the facility around 9 p.m., where he saw the lifeless body of the woman lying on a stretcher, with Emmanuel standing nearby.
According to the witness, a closer observation suggested that the surgery had been poorly conducted. He said he subsequently reported the incident to the police in Otun Ekiti, prompting an investigation into the matter.
Defendant’s defence
In his defence, Emmanuel told the court he had previously worked as a nursing apprentice at a hospital in Lagos State, where he received a certificate after completing his training.
He said he later opened a clinic in Erinmope Ekiti in 2019.
The defendant claimed that the deceased was not initially his patient but arrived at his clinic when she was already close to delivery.
According to him, after examining the woman, he advised that she undergo a caesarean section and said both the woman and her husband agreed to the procedure.
Emmanuel told the court that the surgery initially appeared successful and that both the mother and baby were alive after the operation, but he said the woman later developed complications and died.
To prove the case, the prosecuting counsel, Kunle-Shina Adeyemo, presented seven witnesses before the court and tendered several exhibits, including the defendant’s statements, medical reports and photographs of the deceased.
The defence counsel, Adeyinka Opaleke, relied solely on the testimony of the defendant and called no additional witnesses.
In his ruling, Justice Aladejana said Emmanuel admitted under cross-examination that he was not a qualified medical practitioner but still proceeded to perform the surgery.
The judge described the action as reckless and ruled that the prosecution had successfully proven beyond reasonable doubt that the unlawful procedure led to Falade’s death.
He consequently found Emmanuel guilty on the charges and sentenced him to death by hanging.
