EFCC raid on UUTH triggers indefinite strike

Etim Ekpimah

Health workers and medical doctors across Akwa Ibom State have embarked on an indefinite strike following a violent confrontation at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) involving officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Uyo Zonal Directorate.
The industrial action was declared after EFCC operatives reportedly stormed the hospital premises on Tuesday morning to arrest the Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Prof Effiong Ekpe, an action that allegedly sparked chaos, injuries and widespread outrage among staff.
According to eyewitnesses, two masked men wearing EFCC vests initially arrived at the hospital and attempted to forcibly whisk away a staff member. Their actions were resisted by colleagues, prompting the arrival of reinforcement teams.
Witnesses alleged that the backup team fired sporadically and used tear gas to disperse hospital workers and students who had gathered to resist the arrest. During the operation, Prof Ekpe and three other staff members were reportedly taken away, while several workers were said to have sustained injuries and had their phones damaged while trying to document the incident.
In response, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), led by its Akwa Ibom State Chairman, Dr Aniekan Peters, directed doctors statewide to immediately withdraw their services. The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) also declared a total shutdown of hospital activities in protest.
Confirming the strike, the Public Relations Officer of the NMA in Akwa Ibom, Dr Gabriel Eyo, described the operation as an assault on the medical profession and condemned the treatment of Prof Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery and reportedly the only specialist in that field in the state.
He said masked EFCC officials allegedly stormed Prof Ekpe’s office, assaulted him and dragged him away “like a common criminal”, despite his role in critical healthcare delivery.
Eyo argued that regardless of the allegations against the professor, due process should have been followed, such as issuing an invitation rather than carrying out what he described as a brutal public arrest within a hospital environment.
He added that the incident left several staff members traumatised, with some reportedly suffering injuries and reactions from tear gas exposure.
However, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, denied claims of a police invasion, stating that police officers were only deployed to verify the identity of the EFCC operatives after the hospital’s Chief Medical Director contacted him.
Azare explained that the EFCC was executing a lawful court order in relation to an ongoing case and had been directed by a judge to produce the suspect in court.
According to him, after confirming the legitimacy of the operation with the EFCC leadership, he advised the hospital management to grant the operatives access to carry out the arrest.
He maintained that the police did not participate in any assault but merely verified the EFCC’s presence and lawful mission.