Popular Nigerian doctor and health influencer, Dr. Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as Aproko Doctor, has issued a stern warning about a growing scam targeting women desperate to conceive.
“There’s a pregnancy scam going on. Anyone who tells you that a baby in your womb cannot be seen on an ultrasound is likely trying to scam you. If there’s a pregnancy, it would show on a scan,” he said. Aproko Doctor explained that some women are being fed drugs to mimic pregnancy, discouraged from undergoing scans, and then allegedly given babies they never carried—a criminal racket, he warned.
The alert comes amid controversy surrounding a September 14 post by actress and former Big Brother Naija star, Bambam, who claimed that a woman in her church carried a pregnancy for over three years before safely delivering, calling it “God’s miracle.”
Medical practitioner Dr. Olusina Ajidahun, also known as The Bearded Dr. Sina, resurfaced his January 2023 warnings on fraudulent practices labeled “cryptic pregnancies.” While not commenting on Bambam’s case, he reiterated that some hospitals exploit women by administering hormone injections to mimic pregnancy, faking ultrasound scans, and charging millions of naira for the procedure.
“These women are injected with hormones that mimic pregnancy, leaving them bloated, vomiting, and with swollen legs. They are shown fake scans and discouraged from seeking second opinions. On the day of delivery, they may be sedated, and babies they never carried are handed to them,” Dr. Ajidahun stated.
Investigations by BBC Africa Eye in November 2024 corroborated these claims. Their report revealed that women were injected with hormones to simulate pregnancy, denied scans, and later handed babies believed to have been trafficked. Some facilities even detained teenagers against their will, leaving victims “confused” and heartbroken.
The resurfacing of Aproko Doctor’s warning, amplified by Dr. Ajidahun in light of Bambam’s viral post, underscores the urgent need for public vigilance against such deceptive and dangerous fertility scams.
