UYO — The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has fiercely condemned a recent raid by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) in Akwa Ibom State. The association described the incident, which involved the alleged harassment and brutalization of healthcare workers, as a display of raw brawn, organized lawlessness, and primitive impulse.

The Root of the Conflict: A Medical Report Dispute

The crisis erupted on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, when anti-graft agents stormed the federal tertiary health institution. According to a statement signed by the NMA National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Olayinka Atilola, the heavily armed operatives targeted Prof. Eyo Ekpe, a distinguished professor of cardiothoracic surgery and the Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee.

The raid was reportedly triggered by frustrations over an administrative delay. The EFCC was seeking the authentication of a medical report submitted by a suspect currently in their custody. The NMA noted that the anti-graft agency's Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale, had previously acknowledged that operational friction regarding this document led to the deployment.

The NMA leadership, led by national president Dr. (Prof.) Afekhide Ernest Omoti, expressed deep embarrassment on behalf of the EFCC management. The association questioned why a top-tier federal security agency would abandon standard civil service communication and recourse to violence over a simple verification process.

Akwa Ibom Doctors Commence Indefinite Strike

In swift retaliation to the assault, the Akwa Ibom State branch of the NMA withdrew their services, crippling clinical operations across the state. The national body has declared its absolute support for the indefinite strike action, warning that industrial harmony will not return until those responsible are held accountable.

Furthermore, the national leadership has issued a sweeping directive to all state branches and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Moving forward, if any medical professional is unlawfully harassed while on duty, the local branch is mandated to shut down operations until the aggressors are identified and prosecuted.

Brain Drain and the "Japa" Syndrome

The NMA warned that the continuous wave of state-sponsored and civilian attacks on healthcare facilities is actively destroying Nigeria's fragile health sector. Medical professionals are already facing immense pressure from heavy workloads, poor remuneration, and sub-standard working environments.

The association emphasized that adding physical insecurity and institutional harassment to these existing grievances will only accelerate the mass migration of doctors out of the country a phenomenon locally known as the "Japa" syndrome.

"The leadership of NMA will no longer fold its hands while the few doctors and health workers who have chosen to stay back and salvage the system are brutalized," the statement read.

Demands for Structural Reform

To prevent future occurrences, the NMA is calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene directly by ordering EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede to conduct a transparent public inquiry into the Uyo invasion.

The doctors are also demanding specific legislative and administrative policy changes, including:

  1. Protected Zones: Enacting federal and state laws that designate all public and private hospitals as safe zones, making any violence against medical staff a serious, non-bailable offense.

  2. Regulatory Oversight: Ensuring that issues regarding alleged medical negligence or falsified documents are channeled through professional regulatory bodies, like the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), rather than through aggressive military or police interventions.

  3. Zero-Tolerance Policies: Mandating that hospital managements establish a First Information Report (FIR) system to legally defend their staff, alongside creating dedicated internal units to handle medicolegal emergencies.

The medical community maintains that until the sanctity of the hospital environment is respected by law enforcement, the safety of both doctors and patients remains severely compromised.