The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has threatened legal action against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the alleged assault of doctors and staff at University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
The association said it would seek damages of N1 billion following Tuesday’s raid by EFCC operatives at the hospital premises in Uyo.
During the operation, EFCC officers arrested Eyo Ekpe and several other hospital staff members.
Videos circulating online showed panic within the hospital as workers, patients and visitors ran for safety after teargas was reportedly fired inside the facility.
Reacting to the incident, EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale defended the agency’s actions, saying operatives only visited the hospital to verify a medical report presented by a suspect remanded over alleged fraud involving several microfinance banks, including the University of Uyo Microfinance Bank.
In a communiqué issued after an emergency virtual meeting on Tuesday, the NMA accused masked EFCC operatives of invading the hospital and physically assaulting Ekpe before taking him into custody.
According to the association, the professor was allegedly beaten “to the point of bleeding”, handcuffed and detained alongside other doctors and hospital workers who attempted to intervene.
The association further alleged that gunshots were fired within the hospital environment and that phones belonging to individuals recording the incident were confiscated.
The NMA described the operation as “barbaric, degrading, inhumane, and a gross violation of the sanctity of the hospital environment”.
It also claimed that the state chairman of the association was shoved and exposed to teargas while attempting to seek clarification from the operatives.
Beyond the proposed lawsuit, the association demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detained medical personnel and called for a public apology from the EFCC to Ekpe, the NMA leadership and the Akwa Ibom medical community.
The communiqué stressed that hospitals should remain safe spaces dedicated to preserving lives and not be subjected to violent security operations.
