EFCC Clash Rocks UUTH as Professor Accuses Operatives of Assault During Fake Medical Report Probe

A tense confrontation between operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and staff of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) has triggered allegations of assault, harassment, and the use of force during an attempted arrest over a disputed medical report.

At the centre of the incident is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Eyo Ekpe, who claims EFCC operatives stormed the hospital while investigating an alleged fake medical document and ended up assaulting staff during his attempted arrest.

Speaking at a press briefing, Ekpe said he was assigned to review the EFCC’s request after resuming duty and later discovered irregularities in the document under investigation. He explained that internal checks suggested the report did not originate from the hospital.

According to him, the Head of the Internal Medicine Department confirmed that the doctor named on the report was not part of the department’s staff, raising further doubts about its authenticity.

Ekpe said he prepared a draft response to the anti-graft agency confirming that the document was not genuine, but noted that it still required formal approval from the Chief Medical Director before release.

He alleged that EFCC operatives later returned to his office and informed him he was under arrest shortly after he had shown them the draft response.

The professor further claimed the situation escalated when armed operatives allegedly returned in larger numbers and began forcibly removing him from his office despite his objections and requests to inform colleagues.

He alleged that hospital workers who attempted to intervene were met with force, adding that tear gas was used during the confrontation and that several staff members were traumatised in the process.

Ekpe said he was eventually taken away alongside other hospital workers, describing the experience as distressing and chaotic.

The Chief Medical Director of UUTH, Professor Ememabasi Bassey, confirmed that Ekpe and four other staff members were arrested during the incident, adding that the EFCC did not notify hospital management beforehand.

Bassey insisted that the medical report in question was fake, noting that preliminary internal checks showed inconsistencies, including the use of outdated hospital letterhead and questionable authorship.

He also suggested possible internal collusion in the production of fraudulent documents, stressing that investigations were ongoing to determine how the report entered circulation.

According to him, the hospital handles hundreds of patients daily and could not afford disruption caused by the incident, which he said escalated after operatives allegedly entered the premises without proper coordination with management.

The EFCC, however, gave a different account, stating that its operatives visited the hospital to verify a medical report submitted in an ongoing trial and had earlier sent official correspondence that went unanswered.

The commission alleged that its officers were locked in and attacked by hospital staff, and claimed that police intervention was ignored before the situation deteriorated.

It maintained that its operatives acted within professional limits while carrying out a legitimate investigation.

Meanwhile, medical unions at the hospital have condemned the incident, calling for disciplinary action against the operatives involved, compensation for injured staff, and public apologies in national newspapers.

They also demanded repairs of damaged property and warned that industrial action would continue until their demands are addressed.

Authorities are expected to review the incident as tensions remain high between the anti-graft agency and hospital workers over what has become a deeply contested operation.