RismadarVoice Reporters, May 14, 2026
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Akwa Ibom State chapter, has threatened to institute a N1 billion lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged assault on a senior medical practitioner during a raid at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH).
The association said the legal action became necessary following what it described as physical, emotional, professional, and institutional damages caused by the operation carried out by EFCC operatives at the hospital on Tuesday.
The anti-graft agency was reportedly at the hospital in connection with an investigation involving a fraud suspect, with the commission later explaining that its operatives visited the facility to verify a medical report submitted by the suspect.
According to the EFCC, its officers eventually approached the office of the Chief Medical Director of the hospital “as a last resort” to make further inquiries but withdrew after allegedly encountering resistance, insisting that hospital activities were not disrupted.
However, the Akwa Ibom NMA condemned the operation, alleging that Professor Eyo Ekpe, a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the hospital, was assaulted during the incident.
Addressing journalists in Uyo on Wednesday, the State Chairman of the NMA, Professor Aniekan Peter, said the association took the decision after an emergency meeting convened to assess the incident and its implications on the medical profession and hospital environment.
According to him, Professor Ekpe was allegedly apprehended within the hospital premises by masked EFCC operatives who physically assaulted and handcuffed him alongside other doctors and hospital personnel who attempted to intervene.
Professor Peter further alleged that he was also affected during the incident after approaching the operatives to seek clarification.
He claimed that he was shoved and exposed to teargas during the confrontation.
The association described the hospital environment as a sacred institution that should not be subjected to violent or aggressive operations by security agencies.
Reading from a communiqué issued after the emergency meeting, the Assistant Secretary of the association, Dr Unyime Ndoh, said the NMA would proceed with legal action against the EFCC, demanding N1 billion in damages over the incident.
The communiqué, jointly endorsed by Professor Aniekan Peter and the association’s Secretary, Dr Ighorodje Edesiri, also stated that doctors in the state would not return to work unless their demands were met.
Among the demands listed by the association are a public apology to the affected doctors, identification of the operatives involved in the raid, and their prosecution.
The NMA further alleged that there was no formal invitation or communication to Professor Ekpe or the association’s leadership before the operation, describing the raid as “barbaric, degrading, inhuman, and a gross violation of the sanctity of the hospital environment.”
The association also announced that its members would suspend the provision of medical services to EFCC officials and their relatives pending the resolution of the matter.
The incident has continued to generate reactions within the medical community and among residents, with concerns being raised over the conduct of security operations within healthcare facilities.
