EFCC Opens Investigation As Uyo Teaching Hospital Don Alleges Trauma From Operatives

The University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, came under intense gunfire and teargas on Tuesday, 12 May, which caused panic and stampede as apprehensive workers fled with teary eyes. The deputy chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee (DC – MAC), Prof Eyo Ekpe, was seized by masked, fierce-looking operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Our correspondents, INIOBONG EKPONTA and EJIKE EJIKE, report on the issues surrounding the entire saga.

For Prof Eyo Ekpe, the third-ranking officer of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), along Olusegun Obasanjo Way (Abak Road), Uyo, these are not the best of times for the medical consultant.

Sadness enveloped the hospital on Tuesday when some stern-looking operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed the expansive compound and made straight for his office and effected his arrest in the melee of gunshots and teargas fires to break resistance.

“That is the only thoracic expert we have here,” a senior member of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Gabriel Eyo, had said.

The next action was for medical professionals to embark on an indefinite strike, calling on members to withdraw essential services across all hospitals, including Primary Health Centres (PHCs), in solidarity, to disrupt hospital activities and the attendant trauma to patients, especially asthmatics.

But what was the major reason for the controversial invasion of a critical public institution that plays host to hordes of patients with varying degrees of ailments?

“When they (the EFCC operatives) came to arrest me, I asked them why they wanted to arrest me. I told them the medical report of a suspect they were looking for was not issued by me; it was not issued by my office or my unit.

“I told them that I am not a criminal or a suspect, and asked them, ‘Your organisation didn’t address the letter to me, why then do you want to arrest me?’

“They told me, ‘Alright, just follow us to the office,’ that when I get there, I would be given the opportunity to say all that I have to say.

“I now asked them, okay, ‘can you wait for the office girl that I sent on an errand to return so I can join you?’ They said no, that they couldn’t wait. Before you know it, they started pushing, shoving, and dragging me out of my office.

“Thereafter, I had the opportunity to stumble on the report. I wrote to the Head of Internal Medicine because the diagnosis on the medical report concerns the Internal Medicine Department.

“And when the Head of the Internal Medicine Department looked at the report, he discovered that the name of the doctor who signed the report is not a member of staff of that department.

“So, with this and other evidence, it was easy to write a response to the EFCC. After my release, I was in my office when an EFCC official walked in alone, demanding a copy of the report, since I had earlier assured them it was a draft and that I would hand it over to them when it was ready.

“I told him that what was left was to show it to my Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof EmemAbasi Bassey, to approve, sign and stamp before handing it over to them.”

But on Friday, the EFCC, through its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Ojewale, said the commission had begun an investigation into what happened at the hospital, involving operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Commission and some hospital staff.

The EFCC said the investigation became necessary due to allegations of brutalisation of staff of the hospital, as claimed in a press briefing by the hospital.

Oyewale further explained that “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.

“The commission acknowledges stakeholders who have shown concern in the amicable resolution of the issue and, once again, reassures the public, including medical staff of the UUTH, that the May 12 incident was an aberration and should not be allowed to be exploited by some fifth columnists to undermine the fight against corruption in Nigeria.”

The EFCC explained that its operatives’ presence at the facility on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, was purely administrative to facilitate the authentication of a document, rather than a tactical operation to effect an arrest. Contrary to the information making the rounds, no arrests were made, and the hospital staff who followed our operatives to the Zonal Command were not detained.

Oyewale, while giving details of what transpired, said: “The Tuesday,  12 May 2026, visit of operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital,  UUTH, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State was informed by the need to authenticate a medical report presented by a suspect under remand by  Justice M.A Onyetunu of the Federal High Court,  Uyo, for allegedly defrauding multiple micro finance banks, including University of Uyo Micro Finance Bank.

“The suspect had presented a medical report which required authentication by the UUTH management. The Commission wrote two letters, dated 11 March 2026 and 20 April 2026, to the hospital management to this effect, 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.

“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 unprovoked attack by misguided staff of the facility who pelted them with stones and other dangerous objects.”

The EFCC further explained that “While within the hospital,  the CMD reportedly directed that the gates of the facility be shut, making it impossible for any lawful enquiry to be made.  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.

“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.

“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.”

Earlier, Oyewale had explained that the visit of operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the EFCC was informed by the need to authenticate a medical report presented by a suspect under remand by Justice M.A Onyetunu of the Federal High Court, Uyo, for allegedly defrauding multiple microfinance banks, including the University of Uyo Micro Finance Bank.

He said in an earlier statement that, “The suspect had presented a medical report which requires authentication by the UUTH management. The Commission wrote two letters, dated 11 March 2026 and 20 April 2026, to the hospital management to this effect, but received no response. The investigating officer handling the matter took a further step by visiting the hospital to enquire about the status of the request.

“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 unprovoked attack by misguided staff of the facility who pelted them with stones and other dangerous objects.

“While within the hospital, the CMD reportedly directed that the gates of the facility be shut, making it impossible for any lawful enquiry to be made. 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.

“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.

“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,” Ojewale explained.

However, the lingering crisis, despite appeals by the CMD and other concerned agencies and individuals, has refused to thaw, as the aggrieved medical workers have refused to back down and direct the striking hospital workers to return to their duty posts.

Checks by one of our correspondents revealed that, as patients groaned unattended, an amicable resolution was expected later Friday evening, as the governor, Umo Eno, was reportedly intervening, according to the public relations officer (PRO) of the state branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Gabriel Eyo.

“We are still where we were. The strike is still on because the EFCC has refused to apologise, which is one of our demands before the truce. Maybe, from what we heard, the issues will be resolved later today (yesterday) because we heard there will be an interface with the governor,” Eyo said.