Medical workers at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital have begun an indefinite strike following the alleged assault and arrest of four hospital staff members, including a senior surgeon, during an operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Akwa Ibom State.
The incident occurred Tuesday after EFCC operatives visited the hospital to verify a medical report submitted by a fraud suspect standing trial before the Federal High Court in Uyo over alleged fraud involving several microfinance banks, including the University of Uyo Microfinance Bank.
According to witnesses, EFCC operatives attempted to arrest a hospital staff member, prompting resistance from workers and other personnel. Witnesses alleged that additional operatives later arrived at the hospital and fired shots into the air to disperse workers gathered at the scene.
Hospital workers alleged that Prof. Effiong Ekpe deputy chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee, and three other staff members were taken away by the operatives. Some workers were reportedly injured during the incident, while mobile phones were damaged as people attempted to record the scene.
In a statement, the EFCC confirmed that its operatives visited the hospital to authenticate a medical report presented by a suspect in an ongoing fraud case.
The agency said it had earlier written two letters to the hospital management dated March 11 and April 20, 2026, seeking verification of the report but received no response.
According to the EFCC, an investigating officer later visited the hospital to follow up on the request without success. The agency said its operatives subsequently visited the office of the hospital’s chief medical director on Tuesday “as a last resort.”
The EFCC alleged that its operatives were attacked by hospital staff after they were locked inside the facility.
“They were subjected to an unprovoked attack by misguided staff of the facility who pelted them with stones and other dangerous objects,” the statement said.
The agency also accused the hospital management of refusing to open the hospital gates despite intervention from the police.
Akwa Ibom State Police Commissioner Baba Azare said police officers only accompanied EFCC operatives after the hospital management contacted him to verify the operation.
Azare said he later confirmed that the EFCC officers were acting on a court order linked to an ongoing investigation and advised the hospital management to allow them to carry out their duties.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Medical Association in Akwa Ibom State directed doctors across the state to suspend services indefinitely in protest over the incident. The Joint Health Sector Unions also announced a total shutdown of activities at the hospital.
Dr. Gabriel Uyo, spokesperson for the NMA in Akwa Ibom, described the incident as an attack on healthcare workers and alleged that masked men wearing EFCC jackets stormed the hospital and assaulted Ekpe.
“They dragged him like a common criminal,” Eyo said, adding that workers and patients were traumatized by the incident.
He argued that due process should have been followed if the professor was needed for questioning.
The incident triggered widespread reactions on social media, with several Nigerians criticizing the EFCC’s conduct and describing the operation as excessive use of force.
Some social media users argued that hospitals operate under strict security and patient confidentiality protocols and questioned the decision to carry out the operation within the hospital premises.
