Outrage is mounting in Akwa Ibom State after operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission allegedly assaulted senior medical personnel and other workers at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital during a visit to verify a medical report tendered in a fraud case.

Witnesses said the operatives stormed the hospital and moved straight to the office of Professor Effiong Ekpe, Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee and a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon. They alleged that Ekpe was beaten, dragged along the corridor and taken away alongside three other staff members, triggering chaos within the facility.

Hospital workers who attempted to intervene reportedly met stiff resistance. Eyewitnesses claimed that the operatives called for reinforcement, after which additional officers fired shots into the air and released tear gas to disperse staff, students and patients who had gathered. Several people were said to have sustained minor injuries, while phones used to record the incident were allegedly smashed.

In a statement, the EFCC confirmed that its operatives visited the hospital but framed the confrontation as an attack on law enforcement. The agency said it was seeking to authenticate a medical report submitted by a suspect standing trial at the Federal High Court in Uyo over alleged fraud involving several microfinance banks, including the University of Uyo Microfinance Bank.

The commission said it had written twice to the hospital without receiving a response, prompting a follow-up visit. It alleged that staff locked the gates, raised a false alarm and pelted operatives with stones and “dangerous objects,” forcing them to call in support. The EFCC insisted its officers acted professionally and warned that obstructing investigations carries legal consequences.

Doctors and health workers responded by declaring an indefinite strike, accusing the agency of invading a medical facility and brutalising personnel. The Nigerian Medical Association in Akwa Ibom directed doctors statewide to suspend services, while the Joint Health Sector Unions ordered a total shutdown of activities at the teaching hospital.

NMA officials described the raid as traumatic for staff and patients and an affront to the sanctity of hospitals. They argued that even if a doctor were under investigation, due process required a formal invitation or properly executed warrant, not a forceful operation by masked men.

The state Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, confirmed that police officers later accompanied the EFCC team after the hospital sought clarification, adding that he advised the hospital to open its gates because the operatives were acting on a court order.

The incident has ignited fierce debate over the limits of anti-graft operations, the safety of medical spaces and the balance between law enforcement and professional autonomy in Nigeria’s public institutions.