16 Nigerian Doctors Face Sanctions in the UK for Serious Crimes

In the past year, at least 16 Nigerian doctors in the UK have been suspended or removed from the medical register. They faced sanctions for serious crimes including rape, theft, fraud, illegal possession of drugs, and unauthorized practice.

These sanctions came from the UK Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), usually after a hearing or several hearings.

The MPTS is responsible for conducting hearings and making decisions on whether doctors are fit to practice. They get cases referred by the General Medical Council (GMC).

Records from the MPTS show that between July 2025 and July 2026, many Nigerians were referred to the tribunal for various offenses. Out of the 18 Nigerians, 10 received suspensions. One doctor got a warning, while three others were removed from the medical register.

One of the doctors, Olubunmi Adeagbo-Sheikh, was removed in September 2025 due to a criminal conviction for benefit fraud. He received £11,000 in Universal Credit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) between September 2018 and September 2019 by using a fake tenancy agreement.

Mr Adeagbo-Sheikh studied medicine at Igbinedion University in Edo State. He worked as a gastroenterologist at Orpington Hospital in London. In August 2018, he applied for Universal Credit, claiming £900 per month in rent. At that time, he had not registered with the GMC.

To support his claim, he provided a fake address and forged a tenancy agreement. After his application was approved, he received housing costs for 13 months.

The police found WhatsApp chats about the scam and documents on his phone after his arrest in October 2019. He was charged and pleaded guilty, receiving a 12-month Community Order and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Mr Adeagbo-Sheikh failed to inform the GMC of his conviction for seven weeks, which the tribunal viewed as misconduct. At the September 2025 hearing, the MPTS called his actions "fraud from start to finish" and a breach of Good Medical Practice (GMP) standards.

The tribunal dismissed Mr Adeagbo-Sheikh's claim that he intended to stop claiming benefits when he started working. They felt he would not have stopped until he was caught. They stated he was willing to be dishonest.

The MPTS concluded it was too early to say he would not repeat such actions. Although he made some efforts to make amends, the tribunal ruled he lacked full insight into his behavior, as much of his reflection was recent and he used AI to generate some reports he submitted.

The tribunal rejected his claim that 85 percent of his work was his own, stating that much of it appeared to be written with AI support. They ruled that his premeditated dishonesty meant he could not remain registered as a doctor.

Erasure for Rape

In September and October 2025, the tribunal also removed two Nigerians from the medical register for rape and unauthorized practice, including performing HRT surgery. Both had been practicing for over ten years.

Aloaye Foy-Yamah, a University of Benin graduate, was a gynaecologist in England for over 14 years before his sanction for rape. The tribunal found he had raped a woman, considering him a risk to women if allowed to continue working.

The incident happened in mid-November 2018 at Foy-Yamah's home, where the victim, identified as “Ms A,” was staying. The tribunal heard that he forced himself on her after she rejected his advances. The police previously investigated the case but did not charge him.

An independent panel later ruled he was guilty of rape based on the balance of probabilities. In March 2025, he received a 12-month suspension for what was deemed a "one-off" incident. But the GMC appealed this decision, leading to the tribunal ruling in May 2026 that he posed a risk to women and had to be removed from the medical register.

Erasure for Unlicensed Practice

Joseph Onwude, another Nigerian gynaecologist trained at the University of Ibadan, was erased from the register in 2025 for persistent dishonesty and unauthorised practice.

His license was withdrawn in 2021 for failing to submit required documents, but he continued to work without a license. In March and April 2022, he issued private prescriptions and inserted an HRT implant without proper authorization.

He referred to HRT medication as "smarties," which upset a patient. The GMC suspended his registration in August 2022. Despite this, Onwude continued to practice. In March 2024, he was convicted for his actions and fined.

In September 2025, the MPTS ruled that his fitness to practice was impaired and ordered his name removed from the medical register.

Nigeria’s Professional Medical Standards

All doctors in the UK must register with the GMC and adhere to its professional standards. If they violate these standards, a fitness-to-practice investigation follows.

The MPTS held at least 185 hearings in 2024 and 238 in 2025. Between July 2025 and July 2026, it conducted about 260 hearings. Most did not involve Nigerians. However, a Nigerian case was heard nearly every month except January.

The UK is a popular destination for Nigerian health workers. In 2024, the NHS noted Nigerians were one of its top five employee groups. Over 5,600 doctors have moved from Nigeria to the UK, even as Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio is more than five times worse than what the WHO recommends.

Migrating health workers face stricter regulations and monitoring than they do back home. Experts say many cases of medical negligence come from a lack of enforcement of safety protocols and standards.

In Nigeria, there is no public record of disciplinary actions against doctors. A search of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria’s website found no public records of hearings or decisions from its disciplinary tribunal. There are some media reports of sanctions against health professionals.

Suspension for Theft and Breach of Law

In August 2025, the MPTS suspended Sandra Ndirika, a urology trainee at New Cross Hospital. She was found guilty of stealing from a patient and a colleague.

The first incident happened in May 2023, when a patient left his coat with her. She took £30 in cash from the wallet and cloned the patient’s bank card to make online purchases. Ndirika also stole a colleague's purse and used the bank card inside to order food.

She was charged and convicted in court, receiving about 4 months in prison in December 2023. The tribunal deemed her actions "extremely serious" and against the guiding principles of medical practice.

Another Nigerian, Ifeanyi Ntomchukwu, who worked at the Royal Derby Maternity Hospital, was suspended for two months due to reckless driving and breaking the law. He drove over 100 miles per hour on a provisional license, which is illegal.

In September, he was convicted of eight offenses and fined £4,307. The tribunal ruled that he failed to inform the GMC of his conviction for nearly four months, which was considered professional misconduct.

More Suspensions

Other Nigerians were suspended for various reasons. Tijjani Shehu, a doctor at King’s Mill Hospital, was suspended for 12 months for not properly assessing a patient before treatment.

In December 2022, he treated a patient with severe bacterial infection and failed to consider other symptoms. The patient died hours after arriving at the hospital.

While the tribunal didn’t rule that Shehu caused or contributed to the death, they found his actions delayed the correct diagnosis and treatment.

Anthony Shonde, a gastroenterologist, was suspended for 9 months in August 2025 for issuing too many prescriptions of potent opiates without proper patient history.

Chikaodinaka Okolo was also suspended for possessing hard drugs and for issuing prescriptions in names of former patients and fictitious doctors. He had received a caution for possession of a Class A drug in 2018.

Other Nigerians suspended include Charles Anigala, Moboladale Ojutiku, Olusola Sanusi, John Akumabor, and Anthony Odume. A Nigerian who produced wrong autopsy results was let off with a warning. The tribunal found it was an honest clinical error, not deliberate dishonesty.

The MPTS also rejected restoration applications from two Nigerians, Maduka Ogwueleka and Samuel Olatigbe, who had been removed from the medical register years ago.