The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has filed a fresh 12-count criminal charge against Abuja-based fertility doctor and cleric, Pastor John Abebe, over allegations including the unlawful disclosure of patients’ medical records, sale of human embryos, fraud, conspiracy and providing false information to police investigators.
Also named as defendants in the fresh charge are Joje Abebe Fertility Centre Limited, the medical facility associated with Abebe, and Balikis Olanike Bakare.
The charge was filed on July 21, 2026, at the registry of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the charge, Abebe, Bakare and Joje Abebe Fertility Centre Limited are accused of criminal conspiracy, conspiracy to commit fraud and providing allegedly false information intended to mislead police investigators, among other offences.
Abebe, who is also described as a pastor with Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners Chapel, Durumi, Abuja, had previously been charged alongside his fertility centre in an earlier three-count case filed by the Inspector-General of Police on January 12, 2026. Bakare was not listed as a defendant in that earlier case.
Abebe and the fertility centre were arraigned on March 11, 2026, before Justice Akeem Fashola of Court 31, Jabi, Abuja, and were subsequently granted bail.
The Attorney-General later took over the prosecution from the Inspector-General of Police when the matter came up on June 18, 2026.
The takeover reportedly followed developments surrounding an earlier attempt to arraign Abebe on February 19, 2026, involving the then Commander of the Special Tactical Squad, Dauda Iliya Ayuba.
The fresh 12-count charge contains broader allegations concerning fertility treatments provided to patients at the centre.
Prosecutors allege that Abebe sold nine of 12 embryos belonging to a couple identified as Mr and Mrs Adamu Hassan to other patients. The nine embryos were described in the charge as comprising two male and seven female embryos.
Abebe is also accused of defrauding the couple of ₦19 million in connection with fertility treatment and related transactions.
The prosecution further alleges that fake or substandard drugs were administered during treatment, allegedly resulting in the cessation of the menstrual cycle of a woman identified as Mrs Manga from January 2025 and a continued deterioration in her health.
Prosecutors also allege that Abebe and Bakare represented that two male embryos had been transferred to a purported surrogate mother identified as Miss Joy Ene Pius. Investigators are said to have gathered evidence which the prosecution claims contradicts that account.
The new case also includes allegations that patients’ confidential medical information was disclosed without lawful authority.
The fresh filing comes against the backdrop of an earlier statement by Abebe’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, who had maintained that the Federal Government had not filed any new criminal charge against his client.
The latest court filing, however, contains 12 counts and adds Bakare as a defendant alongside Abebe and Joje Abebe Fertility Centre Limited.
The defendants have not been convicted of any of the allegations contained in the charge. The allegations remain the prosecution’s case and must be proved before the court.
The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on the fresh 12-count charge on October 28, 2026, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.