A 25-year-old Nigerian-born nurse has been stripped of her professional nursing licence in Australia after a tribunal found she repeatedly slept during night shifts at a Sydney aged care facility, putting vulnerable elderly residents at risk.

Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, who moved from Nigeria and began working at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford, western Sydney, in February 2024, had her nursing registration cancelled by the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal on January 20, 2026.

The panel ruled that her conduct amounted to professional misconduct and had the “potential to endanger the lives of patients under her care.”

abujacityjournal.com reports that, during night shifts between March 13 and March 27, 2024, Okembunachi was the only registered nurse on duty overseeing up to four assistants-in-nursing (AINs) and nearly 100 elderly residents.

On at least six occasions, tribunal evidence found she fell asleep while on duty, neglecting her responsibilities.

For three nights, patients reportedly missed scheduled doses of morphine because she was asleep.

In one incident, an assistant attempted to wake her by switching on the nurses’ station light, but she turned it off and returned to sleep.

In another, she allegedly instructed an unqualified assistant to administer Panadol to a patient, despite the assistant not being authorised to dispense medications.

Concerns raised by two colleagues led to Okembunachi’s suspension on March 28, 2024. She resigned shortly after receiving notice and declined to attend a follow-up meeting with management.

Okembunachi, who also pursued medical studies while working, told the tribunal she had been under significant stress and acknowledged her failings.

While the panel noted her remorse, it decided deregistration was necessary to safeguard public health.

Under the ruling, she cannot apply for a review of the decision for at least nine months.