The Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF) has condemned the alleged brutality, harassment, and arrest of health workers, including Professor Eyo Ekpe, during an operation by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
In a statement signed by the National Coordinator of ENF, Nurse Thomas Abiodun Olamide, the group described the incident as “shameful,” accusing EFCC operatives of using excessive force and disrupting medical activities within the tertiary healthcare institution.
“The Elegant Nurses Forum strongly condemns the shameful brutality, harassment, and arrest of Professor Eyo Ekpe and other health workers at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital by operatives of the EFCC,” Olamide said.
The forum expressed concern over reports that operatives allegedly deployed tear gas within the hospital premises, physically assaulted staff, and created panic that disrupted patient care.
“Hospitals are sacred environments. They are not battlefields,” the statement said. “The use of hazardous chemical agents such as tear gas within a hospital environment is reckless, dangerous, inhumane, and unacceptable.”
According to the group, the use of tear gas in a healthcare facility posed serious risks to patients, pregnant women, elderly persons, children, and critically ill individuals receiving treatment at the hospital.
The ENF warned that the operation could have resulted in casualties, noting that healthcare workers attending to patients may have become disoriented while trying to escape the chaos.
“Emergencies may have been interrupted. Lives may have been endangered due to panic and confusion created by the operation,” the statement added.
Describing the incident as “a national disgrace,” the forum said no government agency should operate with “such a level of aggression, disorder, and disregard for human life within a healthcare environment.”
The nurses’ group called for an immediate public apology from the EFCC Chairman to health workers and Nigerians, as well as a comprehensive review of the anti-graft agency’s operational methods, especially in sensitive institutions such as hospitals.
The forum also demanded an investigation into the conduct of the operatives involved in the raid and called for disciplinary measures where necessary.
Among its demands, the ENF further proposed mandatory mental health assessments and psychiatric evaluations for EFCC operatives every six months to determine their fitness to carry firearms and conduct public operations.
The group also advocated stronger protocols to prevent armed security invasions of hospitals except under strictly regulated and professionally supervised conditions.
“The Elegant Nurses Forum stands firmly with health workers at UUTH, and all professionals subjected to intimidation, humiliation, and violence while carrying out their lawful duties,” the statement said.
“Nigeria cannot build a functional healthcare system in an atmosphere of fear, intimidation, and state-sponsored chaos.”
