The operatives the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have been accused of assaulting hospital workers during an attempt to arrest a surgeon over an alleged fake medical report.
Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Prof. Eyo Ekpe, made the allegation on Wednesday during a press briefing in Uyo, where he recounted the events that sparked tension between EFCC operatives and staff members of the hospital.
Ekpe, who also serves as Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee, maintained that the medical report under investigation was forged and did not originate from the hospital.
He added that he was only assigned to assist in verifying the document after returning from an officially approved trip outside Akwa Ibom State.
According to him, the report was forwarded to the Head of the Internal Medicine Department because the diagnosis contained in it fell within the department’s jurisdiction.
He explained that the department later discovered that the doctor whose name appeared on the report was not one of its personnel, prompting further investigation into the authenticity of the document.
Ekpe said he subsequently prepared a draft response on May 11, 2026, indicating that the report was fake, but informed EFCC operatives who came to collect the document that it still required approval and endorsement by the Chief Medical Director before official release.
“I showed them the draft and explained that it still needed the CMD’s approval before it could be signed and stamped officially,” he said.
The professor alleged that shortly after leaving his office, the operatives returned with another armed officer and informed him that he was under arrest.
“I explained that I neither issued the report nor worked in the department linked to it, but they insisted I would explain myself at their office,” he stated.
Ekpe further alleged that the operatives prevented him from speaking with colleagues or answering phone calls before dragging him out of his office.
“They dragged me into the walkway while armed officers surrounded me. I started shouting and staff members rushed out after hearing my cries,” he alleged.
According to him, the situation escalated after hospital workers attempted to resist the arrest, leading the operatives to call for reinforcement.
“Masked and armed men later arrived. They threatened people around and everyone began running for safety,” he claimed.
The professor also alleged that some hospital workers were assaulted while tear gas and live ammunition were allegedly fired during the confrontation.
“We were emotionally traumatised. Some staff members were beaten before we were forced into the van,” he added.
Speaking on the development, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Ememabasi Bassey, confirmed that Ekpe and four other workers were arrested without prior notification to the hospital management.
Bassey maintained that the medical report in question was forged, noting that the letterhead used did not belong to the hospital’s current official documents.
“We have seen several fake reports purportedly issued by this hospital.
The letterhead used was outdated and not from any authorised source,” he said.
The CMD dismissed claims that the hospital ignored EFCC correspondence, explaining that the only letter officially received by his office was dated April 21, 2026.
He added that weekends, a public holiday and Ekpe’s participation in national postgraduate medical examinations contributed to the delay in concluding the verification process.
Bassey criticised the conduct of the operatives, alleging that they failed to notify the hospital management or present an arrest warrant before storming Ekpe’s office.
“At no point did they come to see the CMD, CMAC or Director of Administration. They simply went straight to his office,” he said.
He disclosed that panic spread across the hospital after armed and hooded operatives reportedly arrived at the facility, forcing some workers to flee.
According to him, he contacted the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, after receiving distress calls and was advised to secure the hospital premises until the police arrived.
Bassey said although the police later confirmed that the men were EFCC operatives and advised that the gates be opened, the confrontation had already escalated.
He also revealed that several workers sustained injuries during the incident, including a staff member who reportedly suffered a head injury.
The EFCC, however, defended its operatives in a statement issued on Tuesday, saying its officers visited the hospital to verify a medical report submitted by a suspect standing trial.
The commission claimed it had earlier written two letters to the hospital and alleged that its operatives were attacked and locked inside the facility by aggrieved workers.
“As a last resort, operatives of the commission visited the Chief Medical Director of the hospital to make further inquiries, only to be locked in and attacked by misguided staff members,” the statement read.
The anti-graft agency insisted that its operatives acted professionally and denied disrupting activities at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria and the Association of Resident Doctors, UUTH chapters, condemned the incident and demanded sanctions against the operatives involved.
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The associations also called for compensation and treatment for injured workers, public apologies in two national newspapers and repairs of damaged property, adding that the ongoing industrial action by doctors would continue until their demands were met.
