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There was panic on Tuesday at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) in Akwa Ibom state after operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed the facility.
The operation reportedly resulted in the arrest of Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery and deputy chairman of the hospital’s medical advisory committee.
Operatives of the anti-graft agency were said to have arrived at the hospital in two saloon cars and a tinted bus, with some officers wearing masks and others dressed in EFCC-branded jackets.
Videos circulating online showed workers, patients and visitors running for safety amid confusion within the hospital premises.
However, in a statement issued after the incident, the anti-graft agency said its operatives from the Uyo zonal directorate visited the hospital to verify a medical report submitted by a suspect standing trial before the federal high court in the state capital.
According to the EFCC, the suspect is being prosecuted for allegedly defrauding several microfinance banks, including the University of Uyo Microfinance Bank.
“The suspect had presented a medical report which required authentication by the UUTH management,” the statement reads.
The agency stated that it had earlier written two letters to the hospital management dated March 11 and April 20, 2026, requesting clarification on the report but received no response.
It said an investigating officer later visited the hospital to follow up on the request, also without success.
“As a last resort, operatives of the Commission visited the Chief Medical Director of the hospital on Tuesday to make further enquiries,” the agency said.
The EFCC, however, alleged that its operatives were “locked in with a false alarm and subjected to unprovoked attack by misguided staff of the facility who pelted them with stones and other dangerous objects.”
The commission said the hospital’s chief medical director (CMD) ordered the gates shut, preventing the operatives from leaving despite intervention by the police.
“In spite of the hostility and provocation, there was no breakdown of law and order as the operatives exercised restraint,” the agency said.
The EFCC warned that refusing to cooperate with lawful investigations could amount to obstruction, which it described as a criminal offence.
