Shockwaves reverberated across Nigeria following the death of Akpan Blessing, a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officer, who was fatally stabbed in front of her residence in Piawe, Bwari, on Tuesday, July 22.
The tragedy has sparked calls for an immediate investigation into alleged medical negligence and enforcement failures.
Blessing, a mother of four, was reportedly denied treatment at two private hospitals—Gabriel Hospital and St. Theresa Hospital—because she lacked a police report. Despite her critical condition, both facilities allegedly refused to intervene until legal documentation was presented. She was later confirmed dead at Bwari General Hospital.
The incident has ignited widespread outrage and brought renewed attention to Nigeria’s Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017, which mandates that hospitals provide prompt medical care to victims of violence without requiring a police report. While the act primarily covers gunshot victims, legal experts insist its spirit should extend to other life-threatening injuries.
“That a victim of violent assault was left to die over bureaucratic formalities is unconscionable,” said Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC). “This culture of delay has proven deadly time and again. Hospitals that prioritise paperwork over human lives must be held accountable.”
RULAAC has called on the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to launch a formal inquiry into the conduct of medical personnel at the two hospitals. It also urged the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to issue a directive reaffirming that victims of violence should not be denied treatment under any circumstance, and to fast-track investigations into the attack.
Blessing’s death has once again exposed cracks in Nigeria’s emergency response systems, as citizens question how many more lives must be lost before institutional reforms take effect.
“Let this case mark a turning point,” Nwanguma stated. “We demand accountability. We demand reform. No Nigerian in crisis should ever again be abandoned in the waiting room.”
