Uproar In Uyo As Doctors Shut Down Services Over EFCC Raid At UUTH

Tuesday May 12, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng

Healthcare services across Akwa Ibom State were disrupted on Tuesday after the Nigerian Medical Association declared an indefinite strike following a dramatic confrontation between doctors and operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.

The incident, which threw the hospital into confusion and panic, has triggered conflicting accounts from the EFCC, medical doctors and the Nigeria Police Force over what exactly happened inside the hospital premises.

In a communiqué issued after an emergency virtual meeting on Tuesday, the NMA accused EFCC operatives of storming the hospital and assaulting Professor Eyo Ekpe, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of UUTH.

The association alleged that the senior doctor was beaten, handcuffed and taken away alongside other doctors and hospital workers who reportedly tried to stop the arrest.

“That Professor Eyo Ekpe was apprehended within the premises of UUTH by masked EFCC operatives who physically assaulted him, beat him severely to the point of bleeding and forcefully took him into custody,” the communiqué stated.

The doctors’ body further alleged that gunshots were fired within the hospital environment while some persons who recorded the incident had their phones seized.

The NMA also claimed that its state chairman, Professor Aniekan Imo Peter, was shoved and exposed to teargas when he approached the scene to seek clarification from the operatives.

Angered by the incident, the association announced an immediate and indefinite withdrawal of medical services across the state and demanded the release of all detained doctors and hospital staff.

The NMA also demanded a public apology from the EFCC and threatened legal action against the anti-graft agency with a N1 billion damages claim over what it described as physical, emotional and professional trauma suffered by its members.

But the EFCC denied assaulting any doctor, insisting that its operatives only visited the hospital to verify a medical report presented by a suspect standing trial for allegedly defrauding several microfinance banks, including the University of Uyo Microfinance Bank.

According to the Commission, two separate letters were earlier sent to the hospital management requesting authentication of the report but no response was received.

The EFCC said the situation became tense after the hospital management allegedly shut the gates against its operatives, while some staff members reportedly attacked officials with stones and other objects during the standoff.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command also denied involvement in the operation, explaining that officers were only deployed to the hospital after receiving a distress call from the management over the presence of unidentified armed men within the premises.