Health workers at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) have suspended their industrial action following a truce between the hospital management and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Akwa Ibom State. The suspension came after the intervention of the Akwa Ibom State Government.
The resolution was reached at a joint stakeholders' meeting convened by the state government at the Old EXCO Chambers in the Governor's Office, Uyo. The meeting, which followed a directive from Governor Umo Eno, was chaired by Deputy Governor Akon Eyakenyi. It brought together representatives of the state government, the EFCC, security agencies, UUTH management, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and other health sector unions.
The meeting was convened after EFCC operatives raided the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, an incident that generated tension within the health sector and triggered the industrial action by health workers. In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, stakeholders described the incident as “unfortunate and entirely avoidable” and condemned 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, Professor Eyo Ekpe; JOHESU Chairman, Mr Akanubong Asuquo; NMA Chairman, Professor Aniekan Peter; and the NANNM, for what was described as the unruly conduct of its operatives during the operation at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, has directed that an apology be conveyed to Professor Eyo Ekpe and members of the NMA following the incident on May 12, 2026. According to the Commission, the decision came after the receipt and consideration of a preliminary report on the incident between EFCC personnel and hospital staff. Olukoyede specifically directed that an apology be extended to Professor Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of UUTH, as well as members of the NMA, over the discomfort caused by the episode.
However, 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 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 signed 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.
