By Christopher Oji, and Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The Delta State Police Command has debunked the rumours making the round that a medical doctor, Uyi Iluobe, was murdered by a family of a patient who died in his hospital.
There has been rumours making the round that Dr Iluobe ,was murdered by angry family members of a deceased patient who died in his hospital.
But in a swift reaction, Commissioner of Police in Delta State, Mr Ari Mohammed Ali dispelled the rumours, saying that no patient died in the hospital during the period that the medical practitioner was shot dead.
CP Ali who cleared the air during the visit to his office by the deceased’s family in company with the Nigerian Medical Association, Delta State Chapter, assured the team of diligent investigation into the murder of Dr. Iluobe, who was shot dead in his hospital, Olivet Clinic, Oghareki, Oghara, Ethiope West LGA, Delta State on December 29, 2021.
According Ali,” preliminary investigation revealed that on the said date, a female patient, whose name and address are not known, came to the hospital at about 19.40 Pm ,pretending to have abdominal pains. While the doctor was attending to her, she made a phone call to the suspects whom she deceptively invited to come and pay her bill and that she was being treated by the doctor. Moments later, the hoodlums stormed the hospital in a Toyota vehicle, entered the doctor’s office, and shot him twice in the chest, leading to his death. The purported female patient fled alongside the suspects.”
In a statement by Delta State Police Publlic Relations Officer PPRO DSP Bright Edafe: “The Commissioner of Police, while extending his heartfelt condolences to the family members of the deceased medical doctor, and also members of the Nigerian Medical Association, reassured them that the case will be thoroughly investigated to ensure that the deserved justice is served. Finally, it is pertinent to state clearly that the rumours making the rounds that the family members of a supposedly dead patient were responsible for the murder of the doctor is completely false, and should be disregarded as there is no record of any patient that died prior to the unfortunate incident. The Command thus, wishes to use this opportunity to seek assistance of all and sundry in our effort to lift the veil off the face of the perpetrators”.
Meanwhile, NMA on Wednesday expressed dismay at what it described as hasty conclusion by the police on the murder of Iluobe.
In a statement issued in Asaba, the state chapter of NMA, called on the police to thoroughly investigate the matter, noting that the deceased doctor received threats from a previously treated and discharged gun shot patient who was unable to pay his medical bills. The statement was jointly signed by the state vice chairman of NMA, Okwuze Anthony, and secretary, Oge Nwokwule.
According to the statement, Iluobe was threatened by the said gun shot patient last October.
“We gathered from the wife of the deceased that the doctor has had a brawl with some patients relative in times past due to their unwillingness to pay accrued bill from services rendered by the doctor.
“We were also informed that sometime in October, 2022, the deceased doctor treated a patient with gun shot wounds. On discharge, the patient refused to pay accrued bill. The issue was reported to the police authority in Oghara. It is alleged that the police assisted the doctor in recovering his money.
“It was also alleged that the said patient threatened to deal with the doctor.
“The NMA Delta State is reliably informed that there has been cases of threat to life to the doctor by some youths of the community,” they stated.
On the day of the incident, the NMA also narrated what transpired between a female patient and the doctor at the hospital, saying that while treatment was going on, the female patient allegedly made a call after which some gunmen moved into the clinic and ordered everybody to lie face down.
“They approached the doctor and shot him twice in the chest and left with the last who purportedly presented with severe abdominal pains in a black Toyota salon car with tinted windows,” it added.
Describing the late Dr. Iluobe as a gentle, committed, dedicated and dutiful, NMA reiterated it’s call on the police to leave no stone unturned in unravelling the remote and immediate causes of the murder, and speedily bring the perpetrators to book.