Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has strongly criticised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over what he described as a “thoughtless” raid at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) in Akwa Ibom State.
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, Mr Obi said he had read “troubling reports” that EFCC operatives stormed the hospital in an attempt to arrest Professor Eyo Ekpe, a cardiothoracic surgeon and deputy chairman of the hospital’s medical advisory committee.
While acknowledging that the EFCC and other government agencies have a constitutional right to carry out their duties without interference, Mr Obi expressed deep concern over the manner in which the operation was conducted.
“Reportedly, the EFCC operatives who stormed the hospital shot some teargas canisters within the hospital premises which sent medical staff and patients running for safety,” Mr Obi wrote. He called the act “thoughtless” and said it had compromised safety and jeopardised the health of both personnel and patients.
Mr Obi stressed that the rule of law is “the most fundamental intangible asset upon which any nation functions effectively” and warned that disorderliness allegedly shown by the operatives must not be encouraged. “Nothing justifies the use of teargas canisters in a fragile hospital environment,” he said.
Citing reports that Nigeria has only 80 cardiothoracic surgeons serving its 230 million people, and that Professor Ekpe is the only such specialist in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Obi questioned the signal sent by arresting a senior medical professional in a “demeaning manner” within a hospital.
“We must also learn to respect the lives and dignity of our citizens,” he added, calling for an end to “rascality and disorderliness” in public offices and urging greater civility in the discharge of official duties.
Mr Obi ended his statement with his trademark rallying cry: “A New Nigeria is Possible.”
