From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
Health workers and medical doctors in Akwa Ibom State have embarked on an indefinite strike following the alleged invasion of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Uyo Zonal Directorate.
The industrial action, our reporter authoritatively gathered, has paralysed activities in government hospitals across the state.
The strike followed Tuesday morning’s dramatic arrest of the Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) of UUTH, Prof. Effiong Ekpe, and three other staff members.
Eyewitnesses said two masked men wearing EFCC vests stormed the hospital premises and attempted to forcefully arrest one of the staff members, an action that drew resistance from workers and students within the facility.
The situation reportedly escalated when additional operatives arrived at the scene.
Sources within the hospital alleged that gunshots were fired sporadically into the air while tear gas was used to disperse workers and sympathisers who attempted to stop the arrest.
Some staff members were reportedly injured in the ensuing chaos, while several mobile phones were damaged as workers tried to record the incident.
Following the development, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Akwa Ibom State directed doctors to immediately withdraw their services, while the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) also declared a total shutdown of hospital services in protest.
Confirming the strike action, the Public Relations Officer of the NMA in the state, Dr. Gabriel Eyo, described the incident as “an onslaught on the hospital and health workers.”
He condemned the treatment allegedly meted out to Prof. Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery, saying due process was ignored in carrying out the arrest.
“In the early hours of this morning, masked men wearing EFCC jackets stormed the hospital premises, entered Prof. Effiong Ekpe’s office and assaulted him before dragging him away like a criminal,” Eyo alleged.
He further claimed that the operatives fired shots and used tear gas on staff members and students who attempted to intervene, adding that even the hospital gate was allegedly damaged during the operation.
According to him, the NMA considered the action traumatic and unacceptable, especially as Prof. Ekpe was reportedly preparing for surgery before he was taken away.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Baba Mohammed Azare, denied allegations of invasion, insisting that police officers only accompanied EFCC operatives on a lawful assignment.
Azare explained that the EFCC was acting on a court directive in an ongoing case and had gone to the hospital to arrest a staff member who was required in court.
“The EFCC went there on a legitimate assignment. I instructed a CSP to verify the identity of the operatives after the Chief Medical Director contacted me.
We confirmed they were genuine EFCC personnel acting on a court order,” the police commissioner stated.
He added that the Chief Medical Director of UUTH had been advised to grant the operatives access to the premises, stressing that the police did not invade the hospital but merely verified the operation.