EFCC Orders Probe Into Alleged Incident At Uyo Teaching Hospital

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has ordered an internal investigation into a recent incident involving its operatives and staff of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The Commission said the probe became necessary following allegations of brutality made by the hospital management, insisting that while it had not seen evidence of bodily harm, it would investigate the circumstances of the encounter.

EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the agency would not hesitate to sanction any officer found to have acted outside its operational procedures.

“Even though we have not seen any physical evidence of such brutality in terms of bodily harm or injury to anyone, including to the staff members who addressed the media on this issue, the Commission as a responsible organisation has ordered an investigation into the incident.

“While awaiting the outcome of this inquiry, any staff of the Commission found to have deviated from the Standard Operating Procedure of the Agency will not be spared,” Oyewale said.

The EFCC said the May 12, 2026 visit of its operatives to the hospital was not a tactical arrest operation, but an administrative engagement aimed at verifying a medical report linked to an ongoing fraud case.

According to the Commission, the suspect in the case—already under remand by Justice M.A. Onyetunu of the Federal High Court, Uyo—had presented a medical report that required authentication from the hospital.

The EFCC said it had earlier written two letters to the hospital management dated March 11, 2026 and April 20, 2026 seeking verification, but received no response.

“The Investigating Officer handling the matter took the further step of visiting the hospital to enquire about the status of the request. Still, no response,” Oyewale said.

The Commission said its operatives later visited the Chief Medical Director of the hospital to follow up on the request, but alleged that the situation escalated after staff raised a false alarm.

“As a last resort, operatives of the Commission visited the Chief Medical Director on Tuesday to make further enquiries, only to be locked in with a false alarm and subjected to unprovoked attack by misguided staff of the facility who pelted them with stones and other dangerous objects,” the EFCC stated.

It further alleged that the hospital gates were shut on the directive of the management, preventing the operatives from exiting the premises, even after police intervention.

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

Despite the tension, the EFCC said its operatives exercised restraint and eventually exited the hospital without disruption to its activities.

“In spite of the hostility and provocation, there was no breakdown of law and order as the operatives exercised restraint and professionally made their way out of the hospital premises without disrupting its activities,” the Commission said.

The agency also warned that obstruction of lawful investigative duties could attract legal consequences, stressing that cooperation with its operatives is a statutory obligation.

“Enquiries bordering on operational engagements of the Commission are lawful. It is therefore necessary to remind the public and corporate bodies that they are obligated to cooperate with the agency in such circumstances. Contrary action could be deemed as obstruction, which is criminal with attendant legal consequences,” it added