The industrial action embarked upon by workers of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) has been suspended following a truce between the hospital management and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Akwa Ibom State.
The suspension became possible following the intervention by the Akwa Ibom State Government. The resolution was reached at the end of a joint stakeholders’ meeting convened by the state government at the Old EXCO Chambers, Governor’s Office, Uyo.
The meeting, which followed the directive of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, was chaired by the Deputy Governor of the state, Akon Eyakenyi, and brought together representatives of the state government, the EFCC, security agencies, management of UUTH, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and other health sector unions.
The meeting was convened following the raid incident by the EFCC operatives at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, which generated tension within the health sector and triggered industrial action by health workers.
In a communiqué at the end of the meeting, stakeholders described the incident as ‘unfortunate and entirely avoidable’, while condemning the altercation in its entirety.
The EFCC, through its representatives at the meeting, expressed regret over the incident and apologised to all affected parties, including the Chief Medical Director of UUTH, Prof. Eyo Ekpe; JOHESU Chairman, Mr Akanubong Asuquo; NMA Chairman, Prof. Aniekan Peter; and the NANNM, over what was described as the unruly conduct of its operatives during the operation at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, has directed that an apology be conveyed to Prof. Eyo Ekpe and members of the NMA following the 12 May 2026, incident.
According to the Commission, the decision followed the receipt and consideration of a preliminary report on the incident between EFCC personnel and staff of the hospital.
Olukoyede specifically directed that an apology be extended to Prof. Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of UUTH, as well as members of the NMA, over the discomfort caused by the episode.
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has strongly condemned the violent assault on doctors and other healthcare workers at the Emergency Department of University College Hospital (UCH), describing the incident as a direct attack on Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The association, therefore, demanded an immediate presidential order mandating the strict prosecution of anyone who assaults healthcare workers or invades health facilities across the country.
In a statement by its President, Mohammad Suleiman, NARD expressed ‘grave outrage and deep concern’ over what it described as the alarming rise in violence, intimidation, harassment, and brutal assaults against healthcare workers in Nigeria.
The association listed several hospitals where attacks had occurred in the past year, including University College Hospital Ibadan (UCH Ibadan), Federal Medical Centre Owo (FMC Owo), Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital Sagamu (OOUTH Sagamu), Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital Awka (COOUTH Awka), and University of Uyo Teaching Hospital Uyo (UUTH Uyo).
‘These are not just statistics. These are human beings. These are doctors, nurses, and health workers who dedicate their lives every day to saving Nigerians, yet they are being beaten, humiliated, threatened, traumatised, and treated like criminals in the very hospitals where they sacrifice sleepless nights to preserve lives’, the statement reads.
NARD said over 90 per cent of the victims of such attacks were resident doctors, adding that most victims only received apology letters despite suffering injuries, emotional trauma, and destruction of personal belongings.
