To Escape Paying Hospital Bills, Policeman Kidnaps Doctor in Anambra. (fij.ng)

Corporal Okona Stephen Ifeanyi, a police officer deployed to the Anambra State Police Command, has been accused of kidnapping Dr. Ofodile Ekweogwu, a consultant neurosurgeon, in Anambra State.

In a statement, the Anambra State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) said that the doctor was kidnapped on Saturday by Ifeanyi, who waylaid him in a bid to evade paying his medical bills.

The NMA said that the police officer had earlier attempted to make the neurosurgeon forgo his medical bills after he treated him for a head injury caused by an accident in January.

The council said when Ifeanyi was first presented with his bill, he asked for a rebate, which was given to him, but he absconded the hospital premises by scaling the fence.

“Our colleague, Dr. Ofodile Ekweogwu, a consultant neurosurgeon, managed a patient in a private facility in Nnewi. The patient, Corporal Okona Stephen Ifeanyi of Nigerian Police Area Command Ninewi, was involved in a road traffic accident and sustained a head injury in January 2024,” the NMA said.

“He was referred to Eastern Specialist Hospital Nnewi after some days at another hospital, where he was taken after the accident due to persistent loss of consciousness. Ekweogwu was invited and he gave neurosurgery care to Corporal Okona, who fully recovered and was eventually discharged.

“His medical bill was clearly itemized and given to him. He requested a rebate and it was given to him. He absconded from the hospital by scaling the perimeter fence but later returned, paid part of the bills but was allowed home on self-recognition to complete the balance afterwards.”

The NMA stated that after he was discharged, Ifeanyi bullied the doctor by harassing him in his consulting room with his armed colleagues and then inviting him to the Nnewi Area Command without an official invite.

“He came with armed policemen to the consulting room of Ekweogwu in February 2024 to summon him without an official invitation to the Nnewi Area Command of the Nigerian Police Force. The area commander, on learning about the case, admonished Corporal Okona and asked him to pay his outstanding bills for medical services given to him,” the NMA said.

“Still not satisfied, on Saturday 16th March 2024, in connivance with some policemen from Anambra State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), they trailed Ekweogwu as he was leaving his clinic in Nnewi in the afternoon, blocked him with a Toyota SUV (not an officially branded Police vehicle) with four armed men in mufti identifying themselves as policemen from SCIID, grabbed him and whisked him away in the boot of the vehicle. This is without any prior invitation.

“He was able to place a call to his wife to alert her of his situation before his phone was taken from him and switched off. Ekweogwu identified one of the occupants of the vehicle as Ifeanyi, whom he had treated. While in transit for over three hours driving around different parts of the state, the neurosurgeon was threatened to ‘settle’ with the police offer before getting to their office, which he refused.”

When FIJ called the Akwa Ibom Control Room for a contact at the Nnewi Area Command, a woman who didn’t give her name provided our reporter with two contacts who were unreachable when our reporter called. Text messages sent to them have also not been responded to.

FIJ also sent a text message to Ikenganyia Anthony, the spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, for a reaction, but no response had been got from him at press time.