The Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Professor Ememabasi Bassey, has accused operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of storming the hospital without a warrant and arresting medical personnel over a fake medical report.
Bassey made the allegations on Wednesday during a press conference in Uyo following a violent confrontation between EFCC operatives and hospital staff that forced the shutdown of the facility.
The CMD said the agency arrested Professor Eyo Ekpe and four other staff members without informing hospital management or presenting an arrest warrant.
According to him, the medical report at the centre of the controversy was fake and may have involved internal collaborators within the hospital.
“One of the things we need to get to the bottom of is how the lawyer obtained a fake medical report,” Bassey said.
“That means there may be actors within this hospital working in concert with outsiders because everywhere you have bad eggs.”
He explained that the hospital’s letterhead had been widely reproduced outside the institution and described the document used in the investigation as an outdated version not issued officially by the hospital.
Bassey stressed that the hospital had always cooperated with security agencies and revealed that more than 20 staff members had recently honoured police invitations over another matter.
He denied claims that the hospital ignored EFCC correspondence, insisting that only one letter dated April 21, 2026, was received by his office.
The CMD said the authentication process was delayed due to weekends, public holidays and the official travel of Professor Ekpe, who was away conducting postgraduate medical examinations.
According to him, Ekpe returned on May 11 and immediately prepared a draft authentication report confirming the medical document was not genuine.
Bassey alleged that EFCC operatives visited Ekpe’s office directly without notifying management and later returned with armed men after being shown the draft report.
“His staff ran out because they saw hooded men invade the office,” he said.
The incident triggered panic within the hospital, with Bassey ordering the gates secured while he contacted the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare.
He said the police commissioner initially suspected the armed men could be kidnappers before confirming they were EFCC operatives.
By the time the gates were reopened, teargas had reportedly been fired and the confrontation had escalated.
Bassey said several staff members sustained injuries during the incident, including one worker with a visible head wound.
He later followed the EFCC team to the agency’s regional office, where the detained staff members were released after discussions with senior officials.
The CMD maintained that the crisis could have been avoided through simple communication.
“All they needed was a phone call to me,” he said.
“What happened was a basic administrative exercise that degenerated because it was crudely handled.”
He also questioned whether the delay in authenticating a medical report justified armed operatives entering a hospital environment.
“The only place you can compare a hospital to is a place of worship. It is a hallowed ground,” he added.
Meanwhile, the EFCC denied invading the hospital and insisted its operatives were carrying out an official assignment linked to an ongoing fraud case involving several microfinance banks.
The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria and the Association of Resident Doctors at UUTH have condemned the incident and declared an indefinite strike.
The associations demanded disciplinary action against the operatives involved, compensation for injured staff, a public apology from the EFCC and repairs to damaged hospital property before resuming work.
