The Rivers State Government has stepped up its crackdown on unregistered health facilities, sealing 21 hospitals, maternity homes and diagnostic centres across four local government areas and arresting three people for prosecution.
The enforcement exercise, conducted by the state Ministry of Health in the third quarter of 2026, followed surveillance reports that more than 150 health facilities were operating without registration and regulatory supervision.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, disclosed this on Monday during the ministry’s third-quarter press briefing in Port Harcourt.
He said the 21 facilities comprised eight hospitals, five maternity homes and eight diagnostic centres in Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Etche local government areas.
According to Wachukwu, 19 of the facilities were unregistered and operating below the minimum standards prescribed by the ministry, while another registered facility had neither a licensed doctor nor nurse.
He said the exercise also uncovered a facility allegedly linked to baby trafficking during a joint operation with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at Manda Clinic and Maternity, Elelenwo.
Wachukwu said a Liberian national reportedly disclosed during the operation that three children had been procured from the facility within one month.
The clinic, which he said was unregistered and had no licensed medical practitioners, was sealed, while its operators were arrested by NAPTIP.
“The Rivers State Ministry of Health is fully committed to its regulatory function and is committed to eradicating quackery from Rivers State as part of our mandate on health security,” Wachukwu said.
He said the ministry would continue its enforcement campaign against unregistered facilities and operators who fail to meet minimum health standards.
Among the facilities sealed were Vasty Clinic in Omoku; Danny Clinic and Daba Clinic in Old Port Harcourt Town; Kambel Hospital in Abara-Etche; Havilla Hospital and Golden Era Hospital in Igwuruta; and Ola-Oluwa Hospital in Igwuruta.
Wachukwu said Havilla Hospital was operated by a man identified as Isaac, who claimed to have undergone medical training in Ukraine in 2013 but had no licence from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
He added that Kambel Hospital and Golden Era Hospital were shut after inspectors found that neither a licensed doctor nor nurse was operating the facilities.
The ministry also inspected Sarah Maternity in Belema Polo, Enugu Waterside, operated by a traditional birth attendant with a large following on social media.
Wachukwu said the facility had more than 1,000 women on its patient register and recorded daily attendance of over 200 women.
Rather than shutting the facility, he said the ministry established practice, supervision and advertising guidelines for its operator, who was also issued an official warning and designated as a contact point for other traditional birth attendants and maternity operators seeking supervision and training.
The remaining 16 facilities were sealed for being unregistered and operating below standards prescribed under the Rivers State Facility Registration Act No. 2 of 2019.
Wachukwu urged residents to seek medical care only from facilities that meet the state’s regulatory requirements.
“We mandate all registered facilities to display their Certificate of Standards at the reception of their facilities,” he said.
He added that residents and organisations should only obtain healthcare from facilities with verified Certificates of Standards, describing the document as a quality assurance measure for health security.
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