Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Abuja, Nigeria — The Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF) has formally petitioned the Inspector‑General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, demanding a full investigation and accountability following the alleged assault of a community nurse while she was performing official duties during a government‑approved immunisation campaign in Oyo State. The petition reflects mounting concern among healthcare professionals over personal safety and respect for frontline workers in public health programmes.
In the petition signed by Nurse Thomas Abiodun Olamide, the forum described the incident as “disturbing, unacceptable, and a direct attack on public health workers serving under lawful government directives.” According to the ENF’s account, the assault occurred during a routine childhood vaccination outreach at Olanike Dairo Primary and Secondary School, where a trained immunisation team from the government had been deployed as part of a wider public health initiative.
The nurse at the centre of the controversy, identified as Nurse Hussein, was allegedly slapped by the school’s headmistress, named Madam Bimpe, despite standing peacefully with her colleagues outside the school premises in compliance with deployment instructions. The forum said a video circulating on social media appears to show the headmistress admitting to the act, which, if verified, ENF contends constitutes a clear case of assault on a healthcare worker engaged in legitimate government business.
According to Hussein’s personal account, the health team had been instructed not to enter the school compound until health educators were present due to the school’s prior reluctance toward vaccinations. As she waited outside, she said, the headmistress suddenly confronted her, grabbed her face and twisted her mouth before delivering a heavy slap. Hussein recounted that her colleagues advised an apology to defuse the situation, but she refused, insisting she had done nothing contrary to her professional responsibilities.
The ENF’s petition to the IGP called for an immediate and thorough police investigation into the assault, the prosecution of anyone found culpable under relevant sections of the law, and enhanced protection for health workers during community‑based immunisation and other public health exercises. In its appeal, the forum highlighted the risks nurses face regularly in the line of duty and stressed that such violence not only undermines individual safety but could also impede the delivery of essential health services.
The Nigerian Nurses Forum emphasised that violence and intimidation against health professionals should not be tolerated and urged the police leadership to send a public message that attacking healthcare workers engaged in government‑sanctioned programmes will attract decisive legal consequences.
The complaint comes amid broader national discussions about the challenges faced by health workers, including workplace safety, community resistance to public health interventions, and the need for stronger legal and institutional support to protect frontline personnel tasked with advancing vaccination and disease prevention efforts.
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