The Nigerian Medical Association in Akwa Ibom State has threatened to sue the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for N1 billion following an alleged assault on doctors during a raid at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
The association said the planned legal action stems from what it described as physical, emotional, professional and institutional damage caused during the anti-graft agency’s operation at the hospital in Uyo.
According to the doctors, EFCC operatives entered the hospital while investigating a fraud case involving a suspect and allegedly assaulted Professor Eyo Ekpe, a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon, during the process.
Akwa Ibom NMA chairman, Professor Aniekan Peter, said the association reached the decision to go to court after an emergency meeting held on Wednesday.
He alleged that the operatives, described as masked officers, physically attacked Ekpe within the hospital premises, leaving him bleeding, and also handcuffed other doctors and staff who attempted to intervene.
The association further claimed that Professor Peter himself was shoved and exposed to teargas when he approached the scene to seek clarification from the operatives.
The doctors described the hospital as a protected environment that should not be subjected to forceful operations by security agencies, insisting that the raid violated the sanctity of a healthcare institution.
In addition to the lawsuit, the NMA said its members would suspend services until certain demands are met, including a formal apology to affected doctors and the identification and prosecution of officers involved in the incident.
The association also announced that medical services would not be extended to EFCC officials or their family members until the matter is addressed.
The EFCC had earlier said its officers visited the hospital to verify a medical report submitted by a suspect under investigation and later sought clarification from the Chief Medical Director after initial inquiries. The commission maintained that its team withdrew without disrupting hospital activities.
