AKURE, — The Ondo State Police Command says it has opened an investigation into allegations that an unlicensed medical facility in Odigbo Local Government Area operated as a clinic and mishandled a delivery, leading to the death of a 28-year-old woman.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Akure, the police spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said the matter was reported by residents of the Sabo area on Jan. 18 at about 6:00 p.m. The complainants alleged that a couple—Kehinde Olawuyi (36) and Eniola Olawuyi—were running an illegal clinic at Orita, Odigbo.
According to police accounts, the suspects allegedly admitted the victim, identified as Iyanu (female, 28), on Jan. 4 at about noon for childbirth at the facility. The statement said the delivery was allegedly handled “in an unprofessional manner,” after which the woman reportedly became unconscious and began bleeding heavily. She was then rushed to another health facility in Odigbo for emergency care but was later pronounced dead.
Police said preliminary findings indicate the suspected operators are not registered medical practitioners, and that the premises were being used for medical services without legal authorisation. Jimoh said investigators are compiling evidence and that the suspects will be charged to court at the conclusion of the investigation.
The Ondo Police Commissioner, through the spokesperson, warned residents against patronising unregistered and illegal medical facilities and urged the public to seek care only from licensed and certified institutions. The command also appealed for credible information that could assist the investigation, assuring residents that tip-offs would be treated confidentially.
The case lands amid heightened scrutiny of “quack” medical practice in the area. In a separate incident reported earlier this month, Ondo police announced the arrest of a young man accused of operating an illegal clinic in Ore, the headquarters of Odigbo LGA, underscoring what officials describe as a recurring enforcement problem around unlicensed health services.
Health advocates say such cases carry broader implications for maternal safety in Nigeria, where postpartum haemorrhage and delayed access to skilled care remain major drivers of preventable deaths. The World Bank estimates Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio at 993 deaths per 100,000 live births (2023), among the world’s highest.
