The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Akwa Ibom State chapter, has announced plans to institute a N1 billion lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over the alleged assault of Professor Eyo Ekpe, a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH.
The decision formed part of 10 resolutions reached during an emergency virtual meeting convened by the association on Tuesday following the arrest and alleged assault of the senior medical practitioner.
According to reports, EFCC operatives visited the hospital to verify a medical report presented by a suspect and subsequently arrested Professor Ekpe under circumstances described as degrading by the association.
It was gathered that the professor informed the operatives that the requested documentation was already being processed before the officials allegedly mobilised additional personnel, returned to the hospital premises and forcefully took him away after reportedly assaulting him publicly.
Addressing journalists during a press conference at Doctors’ Mess, Udoudoma, Uyo, on Wednesday, the NMA Chairman in Akwa Ibom State, Professor Aniekan Peter, condemned the incident, describing it as an attack on the integrity and dignity of the medical profession.
A communiqué jointly endorsed by the chairman and the secretary of the association, Dr. Ighorodje Edesiri, and read by the assistant secretary, expressed concern over what the union described as a recurring pattern of harassment and assault of medical professionals by security agencies within the state.
The association noted that no formal invitation was extended either to Professor Ekpe or the NMA leadership before the incident occurred.
The union described the operation as barbaric, degrading and inhuman, insisting that it violated the sanctity of the hospital environment and endangered both medical personnel and patients.
The NMA, which has already embarked on an indefinite strike, stated that members would not resume work until the EFCC apologises to the assaulted professor, the NMA chairman and the association, while also identifying and prosecuting the officers involved in the operation.
The association further declared that its members would no longer provide medical services to EFCC personnel or their relatives, accusing the agency of subjecting one of its members to cruelty.
Part of the communiqué read: “We observed that Prof. Eyo Ekpe was apprehended within the premises of UUTH by masked EFCC operatives who physically assaulted him, beat him to the point of bleeding, and handcuffed him alongside other doctors and hospital staff who attempted to intervene.
“Prof. Peter, Akwa Ibom NMA chairman, was shoved and exposed to teargas when he approached the scene seeking clarification from the operatives. Hospitals are sacred environments meant for the preservation of life and should not be subjected to violent invasions by security agencies.
“We shall institute legal action against the EFCC with a demand for damages in the sum of one billion naira (N1,000,000,000) for the physical, emotional, professional, and institutional damages caused. Congress further emphasised that this action shall serve as a deterrent against future harassment, intimidation, or assault of medical practitioners by any security agency. The association reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the welfare, dignity, and safety of all its members.”
