Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Akwa Ibom State chapter, has declared war on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In an unprecedented move, the association has announced plans to file a N1 billion lawsuit against the anti-graft agency following a violent raid on the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) that left doctors injured, patients terrified, and the state’s only cardiothoracic surgeon in handcuffs.
The crisis erupted on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, when masked operatives of the EFCC stormed the UUTH premises. Their mission was to authenticate a medical report submitted by a suspect standing trial for alleged fraud. But what began as an administrative inquiry descended into chaos when the operatives attempted to forcefully arrest Professor Eyo Ekpe, the Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) and the sole cardiothoracic surgeon in Akwa Ibom State.
Witnesses described a scene of terror unfolding within the hallowed walls of the teaching hospital. According to a communiqué issued by the NMA after an emergency virtual congress, Professor Ekpe was physically assaulted by the operatives, beaten to the point of bleeding, and handcuffed within the hospital premises. When other doctors and hospital staff intervened to protect their colleague, they were also manhandled and detained. The NMA further alleged that gunshots were fired inside the hospital, and teargas canisters were deployed, sending patients, relatives, and medical personnel scrambling for safety. The association’s state chairman, Professor Aniekan Peter, was reportedly shoved and exposed to teargas when he attempted to seek clarification from the operatives. The congress described the incident as barbaric, degrading, and a gross violation of the sanctity of the hospital environment.
The EFCC has denied the allegations, insisting that its officers acted within the bounds of the law. EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale explained that the commission had written two letters to the hospital management on March 11 and April 20, requesting authentication of the medical report, but received no response. He claimed that when operatives visited the Chief Medical Director (CMD) as a last resort, they were locked inside the facility under a false alarm and pelted with stones by hospital staff. Oyewale maintained that the operatives exercised restraint and made their way out professionally, and he warned that obstruction of lawful inquiries is a criminal offense with legal consequences. The Akwa Ibom State Police Command also distanced itself from the operation, clarifying that its officers were only deployed to verify the identity of the operatives and ensure the execution of a court order.
Outraged by the incident, the NMA took immediate and decisive action. Following an emergency virtual congress held on Tuesday, the association announced an immediate and indefinite withdrawal of medical services across all public and private hospitals in Akwa Ibom State. The strike, which began on Wednesday, has paralyzed healthcare delivery in the state, leaving the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, the only publicly accessible federal tertiary health institution in Akwa Ibom, attending to between 600 and 800 patients daily, completely shut down. The NMA has also declared that it will not offer any medical services to EFCC officials or their relatives, whom it accused of choosing the path of cruelty against its members.
The association has issued a set of non-negotiable demands. It insists on the immediate and unconditional release of Professor Ekpe and all other detained medical personnel. It is demanding an unreserved public apology from the EFCC to the assaulted professor, the NMA chairman, and the entire medical community in the state. The association also wants the identification and prosecution of all EFCC officers involved in the raid and alleged assault. And in a move aimed at sending a powerful deterrent message, the NMA has resolved to institute legal action against the EFCC, seeking N1 billion in damages for what it describes as the physical, emotional, professional, and institutional damage caused by the incident.
The strike has thrown the state’s healthcare system into a full-blown crisis. The Chief Medical Director of UUTH, Professor Ememabasi Bassey, has made an emotional appeal to the striking doctors to return to work, warning that innocent patients, including newborns in intensive care and critically ill persons, are at risk of losing their lives. He lamented that the EFCC did not formally notify the hospital management or present an arrest warrant before attempting to arrest the professor. However, the NMA has remained resolute, insisting that no dialogue will be entertained until its demands are met. The association’s resolve signals a dangerous escalation in the conflict between the medical profession and law enforcement, and as the strike continues, the people of Akwa Ibom State are left to bear the heavy cost of a confrontation that turned a place of healing into a battleground.
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