ATBUTH Exposes Extortion Scam, Recovers ₦27,000 From Fake Hospital Official

The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, has uncovered an extortion racket operating within its premises and recovered ₦27,000 allegedly obtained from a patient through fraudulent means.

The incident was made public in a statement released on Wednesday by the Head of the hospital’s Public Relations and Protocol Unit, Usman Koli.

According to the statement, the hospital’s SERVICOM Unit detected the fraud during a routine surveillance exercise, leading to the arrest of an impostor who had been deceiving patients and their relatives.

Koli explained that the suspect—described as an elderly man with a calm and unassuming appearance—was apprehended during a night surveillance operation after collecting ₦45,000 from relatives of a patient receiving treatment for a gunshot injury.

Investigations revealed that the suspect falsely demanded ₦5,000 for a hospital smart card and ₦40,000 for drugs. However, hospital records showed that smart cards are issued free of charge, while the actual cost of the prescribed drugs was ₦18,150. The excess sum of ₦27,000 was recovered, and the suspect was handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.

Reacting to the development, the Chief Medical Director of ATBUTH, Prof. Yusuf Bara, praised the SERVICOM team for its vigilance and reaffirmed the hospital’s zero-tolerance stance against extortion, impersonation, and other unethical practices.

Bara urged patients and members of the public to stay alert and report suspicious individuals or demands for unofficial payments to SERVICOM desks or appropriate hospital authorities. He assured that management would continue to strengthen internal surveillance to protect patients and uphold transparency.

The hospital management also warned the public to beware of fraudsters impersonating hospital officials to collect money under the pretext of offering jobs or facilitating appointments. It stressed that no staff member or individual is authorised to demand money, gifts, or inducements for employment or placement within the hospital.

The statement further advised anyone who has made such payments to immediately report to the hospital’s Public Relations and Protocol Unit with relevant details, warning that failure to do so could result in legal consequences.