EFCC UUTH raid sparks outrage as doctors strike over alleged assault and arrest of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital staff

Outrage has trailed the alleged assault and arrest of four staff members of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, including Professor Effiong Ekpe, following an operation by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Uyo on Tuesday.

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The incident reportedly occurred 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.

Eyewitnesses alleged that the operatives initially attempted to arrest a hospital staff member, triggering resistance from workers and other personnel within the facility.

According to accounts from the scene, additional operatives were later deployed to the hospital, where gunshots were allegedly fired into the air to disperse workers gathered around the premises.

Professor Ekpe, a cardiothoracic surgeon, and three other hospital staff members were subsequently taken away by the operatives.

Some persons were reportedly injured during the chaotic incident, while several mobile phones were allegedly damaged as workers attempted to record the operation.

In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, the EFCC confirmed that its officials visited the hospital to authenticate a medical report presented by a suspect facing trial over alleged fraud involving several microfinance banks, including the University of Uyo Microfinance Bank.

“The suspect had presented a medical report which required authentication by the UUTH management. The Commission wrote two different letters, dated March 11, 2026, and April 20, 2026, to the hospital management to this effect without receiving any response,” the agency stated.

The EFCC said its investigating officer later visited the hospital to follow up on the request but allegedly received no cooperation.

“As a last resort, operatives of the commission visited the chief medical director of the hospital on Tuesday to make further enquiries, only to be locked in with a false alarm and subjected to an unprovoked attack by misguided staff of the facility who pelted them with stones and other dangerous objects,” the statement added.

The agency further claimed that the hospital management shut the gates against its operatives despite intervention from the police.

“Police authorities in Akwa Ibom State advised the CMD to open the hospital gates to enable the operatives to exit the premises peacefully, but the entreaties were turned down,” the commission said.

The EFCC insisted that its operatives acted professionally and did not disrupt hospital activities, while warning that obstruction of lawful investigations could attract legal consequences.

The EFCC UUTH Raid has, however, sparked a fierce reaction from medical workers across the state.

The chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Akwa Ibom State, Aniekan Peters, reportedly directed doctors to commence an indefinite strike in protest over the incident.

The Joint Health Sector Unions also announced a total shutdown of activities at the hospital.

Speaking on the development, the Public Relations Officer of the NMA in the state, Gabriel Eyo, described the operation as an attack on healthcare workers and patients.

“In the early hours of this morning, masked men wearing EFCC jackets stormed into the hospital premises, walked into the office of the Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Prof. Effiong Ekpe, and beat him to a pulp,” Eyo alleged.

“They dragged him like a common criminal. When members of staff, students and other health workers tried to resist them, they shot sporadically into the air and dispersed the crowd with tear gas,” he added.

Eyo stated that Ekpe was injured during the incident and argued that due process should have been followed.

“Whatever he did, there is a due process for this kind of thing. Even criminals are not treated this way. The only thing that should have been done would have been to send an invitation, which was not done,” he said.

The NMA spokesperson added that the incident had created trauma among workers and patients within the hospital environment.

Reacting to the allegations, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, said police officers only accompanied EFCC officials after the hospital management contacted him for clarification.

“The EFCC went for an arrest in the hospital this morning, and the CMD called me to verify if my men were among those in the hospital,” Azare explained.

He added that he later confirmed from the EFCC that the operation was linked to a court order in an ongoing case.

“I called the CMD and advised him to open the gate for them to carry that man because it is a legitimate duty,” the police commissioner stated.

The dramatic incident has also triggered widespread reactions on social media, with many Nigerians condemning the alleged use of force by the anti-graft agency.

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Several users questioned the conduct of the operation, while others argued that hospitals operate under strict security and patient protection protocols that should have been respected during the investigation.