Tension erupted at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) on Tuesday following a raid by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which led to the arrest of Professor Eyo Ekpe, a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and deputy chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee.
Eyewitnesses reported panic as EFCC operatives, arriving in two saloon cars and a tinted bus, some wearing masks and branded jackets, stormed the facility.
Videos circulating on social media showed workers, patients, and visitors running for safety amid the chaos.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Akwa Ibom State branch, has since declared an indefinite strike over the alleged assault and harassment of doctors during the operation.
In a statement, the EFCC clarified that its Uyo zonal operatives visited the hospital solely to authenticate a medical report submitted by a suspect standing trial at the Federal High Court in Uyo for allegedly defrauding several microfinance banks, including the University of Uyo Microfinance Bank.
The anti-graft agency said it had earlier written two letters (dated March 11 and April 20, 2026) to the hospital management requesting clarification on the report but received no response.
A follow-up visit by an investigating officer also yielded no success.“As a last resort, operatives of the Commission visited the Chief Medical Director of the hospital on Tuesday to make further enquiries,” the EFCC stated.
The commission, however, alleged that its operatives were “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.” It added that the hospital’s Chief Medical Director ordered the gates shut, preventing them from leaving, despite police intervention.
The EFCC maintained that its operatives exercised restraint despite the hostility and warned that obstructing lawful investigations is a criminal offence.
The arrest and the ensuing strike have disrupted medical services at the teaching hospital, one of the major healthcare facilities in Akwa Ibom State.
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