UK sanctions 16+ Nigerian doctors for rape, fraud, unauthorized practice in past year
At least 16 Nigerians working as medical professionals in the UK have been suspended or struck off the medical register between July 2025 and July 2026, PREMIUM TIMES reports citing UK Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) records. Sanctions cover serious crimes including rape, benefit fraud, theft, illegal drug possession, and unauthorized medical practice such as performing HRT surgery without proper licensing.
Specific cases show the pattern: Olubunmi Adeagbo-Sheikh (gastroenterologist, trained at Igbinedion University) was struck off in September 2025 for fraudulently claiming £11,000 in Universal Credit using fake documents. Aloaye Foy-Yamah (gynaecologist, UNIBEN graduate) had his name erased in May 2026 after tribunals found he raped a woman during a 2018 home visit. Joseph Onwude (gynaecologist, University of Ibadan) was struck off in August 2025 for persisting in private practice despite losing his license in 2021 and performing unauthorized HRT implants.
Out of 18 Nigerians referred by the General Medical Council (GMC) to MPTS during this period, 10 received suspensions, 1 got a warning, and at least 3 were permanently struck off. The UK remains a top destination for Nigerian doctors—over 5,600 moved there in the last decade despite Nigeria's severe doctor shortage. Unlike Nigeria, the UK maintains public disciplinary records through MPTS hearings, which held around 260 cases in 2024-2025 with at least one Nigerian-focused hearing monthly except January.
What does this pattern of sanctions mean for Nigerian medical professionals currently practicing or considering relocation to the UK—should they view it as evidence of robust accountability or a warning about systemic challenges in diaspora medical practice?