The Federal Government has filed a fresh three-count charge against Abuja-based fertility doctor and pastor Dr. John Abebe, his clinic Joje Abebe Fertility Centre Limited, and Balkis Olanike Bakare. The charges allege fraud, unlawful disclosure of confidential medical records, and the sale of a couple’s embryos.
The charge, numbered CR/005/2026, was filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Prosecutors say Dr. Abebe, a chief consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, unlawfully disclosed the confidential medical records of Mr. and Mrs. Mary Manga without their consent, in violation of Section 29 of the National Health Act, 2014.
The case was originally being prosecuted by the office of the Inspector-General of Police before the Attorney-General sought its transfer and filed the new charge.
According to the prosecution, between January and May 2025 Dr. Abebe obtained ₦19 million from the couple under the pretext of providing specialist in-vitro fertilisation services. He is accused of converting the money to his personal use, an offence under Section 1 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
Prosecutors further allege that he sold nine of the couple’s fully developed embryos, two male and seven female to other patients. If proven, the claim would rank among the most serious fertility-related scandals in recent Nigerian history.
The first count accuses Dr. Abebe and Joje Abebe Fertility Centre Limited of unlawfully disclosing the confidential medical records of Mr. and Mrs. Mary Manga. The second count alleges that he breached a confidentiality agreement concerning the reproductive health status of Mrs. Manga’s husband by attaching the records to a pre-action demand notice issued through his lawyers, making the documents accessible to third parties and causing emotional trauma. The third count centres on the alleged fraudulent obtaining of ₦19 million and conversion of both the funds and some of the embryos.
The matter is before Justice A. A. Fashola of the FCT High Court, Abuja. The court granted the defendant bail on 11 March 2026. The trial is expected to raise significant questions about medical ethics, patient confidentiality, fertility treatment practices, and the enforcement of health and fraud laws in Nigeria.
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