- Cart away N1.5bn medical equipment
- Police recover stolen equipment from suspect’s clinics in Osogbo, Ife, Lagos
The police in Kwara have arrested a popular medical doctor for allegedly leading a five-man robbery gang in Ilorin, the state capital, to rob a hospital belonging to another doctor of equipment worth about N1.5billion.
Our correspondent learnt that the suspect, in company with four others now at large, had in January 2017 allegedly burgled Group Medical Centre, Tanke, Ilorin, from where they allegedly carted away expensive hospital equipment, furniture, air conditioners and other valuables.
The suspect, Dr. Joseph Ayodele, who is the Chief Medical Director of Alafia Tayo Hospital, Sawmill area, Ilorin, was said to be a close friend of the owner of Group Medical Centre, Dr. Rafiu Ajiboye, based in Australia.
The suspect, it was gathered, had some time last year, showed interest in buying some of the medical equipment in the hospital, especially the sophisticated theatre machine and scanners, but Ajiboye was said to have rejected the offer.
Ajiboye was said to have returned to the country on vacation on July 24, only to discover that his hospital, which had been under lock and key, when he left for his base in Australia, had been burgled and the equipment stolen.
Upon his discovery of the burglary, Ajiboye immediately called his friend (the suspect), who was said to have advised him to report the matter to the police.
According to Ajiboye, he was, however, shocked, when during his visit to the suspect’s hospital on July 26, 2017, he saw one of the missing bowls in his burgled hospital, which had his facility’s name boldly inscribed on its back, being used.
Speaking with our correspondent on the incident, Ajiboye said, “To my greatest surprise, when I returned to the country, I discovered that my hospital had been burgled and the equipment gone. Though he made an offer to buy some of the theatre equipment last year, he was the one that advised me to report the matter to the police. I told him my hospital would start running from August 2017.”
Ajiboye then reported the incident to the police, which promptly arrested all the staff on duty at the suspect’s hospital.
Although the suspect was not around during the police raid on his hospital, the suspect was said to have later surrendered himself to the police, claiming his staff were not involved in the burglary.
The accused, who was alleged to have confessed to partaking in the burglary of his friend’s hospital, was said to have also told the police that only the missing bowls and towels were in his hospital in Ilorin while the other stolen equipment had been transferred to the other branches of his hospitals in Ife, Osogbo and Lagos.
It was, however, learnt that the suspect later led the police to the different branches of his hospital, where much of the stolen equipment were recovered.
The suspect, said to have signed an undertaking with the police at Area F, Tanke, Ilorin, to pay for the remaining missing items, we learnt, would also soon be dragged before the Nigeria Medical Council to face disciplinary action.
Attempt by our correspondent to get his comments on the allegations was rebuffed by the suspect.
When he was called on the phone, he retorted to our correspondent’s inquiry, “What’s your problem” and cut the call.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi, however, said his office had not been briefed about the alleged burglary.
Okasanmi, a deputy superintendent of police, said in an SMS text message sent in response to our correspondent’s enquiry about the matter, “I’m not aware of anything as such. If the story is true and the parties have an agreement of paying for the missing equipment, it is not known to my office. Probably, it is under the division where the complaint was lodged; I wouldn’t know.”
