EFCC Breaks Silence After Storming University of Uyo Teaching Hospital

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has explained the circumstances surrounding the visit of its operatives to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital on Tuesday, following widespread outrage and allegations of assault during the operation.

In a statement shared via its official X handle, the anti-graft agency said operatives from its Uyo Zonal Directorate visited the hospital to verify a medical report submitted by a fraud suspect currently under remand at the Federal High Court in Uyo.

According to the EFCC, the suspect is standing trial over allegations of defrauding several microfinance banks, including the University of Uyo Micro Finance Bank.

The Commission stated that the suspect had presented a medical report from the teaching hospital, which required authentication from the hospital management before further legal action could proceed.

“The Tuesday, May 12, 2026, visit of operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the EFCC to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital 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,” the statement read.

The anti-corruption agency disclosed that it had earlier written two official letters to the hospital management on March 11 and April 20, 2026, requesting confirmation of the medical report, but reportedly received no response.

It added that after repeated failed attempts to get feedback, the investigating officer handling the matter personally visited the hospital to inquire about the status of the request, but still received no cooperation.

The EFCC further claimed that its operatives later approached the Chief Medical Director of the hospital as a final effort to seek clarification, but the situation quickly escalated.

According to the Commission, staff members allegedly attacked the operatives after a false alarm was raised within the facility.

“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 agency stated.

The EFCC also alleged that the hospital management ordered the closure of the facility’s gates, making it difficult for operatives to leave the premises peacefully.

The Commission claimed that despite advice from police authorities in Akwa Ibom State urging the reopening of the gates, the hospital management allegedly refused to comply immediately.

However, the agency maintained that its operatives acted professionally and exercised restraint throughout the confrontation.

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

The EFCC stressed that all operational engagements carried out by the Commission are lawful and warned that any obstruction of its investigations could attract legal consequences.

Meanwhile, reports from eyewitnesses and medical personnel painted a different picture of the incident.

According to accounts gathered by MYSCHOOLNEWS, the operation triggered chaos within the hospital premises, leading to injuries, destruction of property, and the arrest of some hospital staff members.

Eyewitnesses alleged that EFCC operatives, accompanied by police officers, forcefully arrested the Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Prof. Effiong Ekpe, alongside three other staff members.

Some staff members also claimed that several individuals sustained injuries during the confrontation, while mobile phones were damaged as people attempted to record the incident.

Reacting to the development, the Nigerian Medical Association in Akwa Ibom State and the Joint Health Sector Unions reportedly declared an indefinite strike action, describing the operation as an attack on healthcare workers and the hospital community.

Speaking on the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the NMA in Akwa Ibom State, Dr Gabriel Eyo, accused the EFCC operatives of using excessive force during the operation.

“In the early hours of this morning, masked men wearing EFCC jackets stormed into the hospital premises, walked into the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee’s office, Prof. Effiong Ekpe, and they beat him to a pulp,” he alleged.

He further claimed that operatives fired gunshots into the air and used tear gas to disperse workers and students who attempted to resist the arrest.

According to him, some individuals with underlying health conditions reportedly suffered reactions from the tear gas exposure.

Despite the allegations, the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Baba Azare, defended the operation, stating that police officers accompanied the EFCC based on a court directive related to an ongoing investigation.

He maintained that the operation was lawful and carried out in coordination with the hospital authorities.

The incident has continued to generate mixed reactions online, with many Nigerians calling for an independent investigation into the claims made by both the EFCC and hospital workers.