Former presidential candidate warns that reported enforcement action at Uyo Teaching Hospital endangered patients, disrupted care, and disrespected a scarce medical specialist.

Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has strongly condemned the alleged operation by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, describing the reported use of teargas within the facility as reckless and deeply inappropriate.

Obi was reacting to reports that EFCC officials stormed the hospital in a bid to arrest Professor Eyo Ekpe, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee. While acknowledging that security agencies have the legal authority to carry out arrests, Obi stressed that such duties must be executed with restraint, professionalism, and respect for human life.

According to him, accounts from the scene suggest that teargas was allegedly discharged within the hospital premises, triggering panic among patients and healthcare workers, many of whom reportedly fled for safety. He warned that such actions not only disrupted critical medical services but also placed vulnerable patients at serious risk.

Obi insisted that no operational urgency justifies deploying teargas in a healthcare environment, describing the move as a violation of basic standards of public safety and order. He added that the manner in which the arrest was reportedly carried out sends a troubling signal, particularly to medical professionals already working under intense pressure.

Highlighting Nigeria’s severe shortage of specialist doctors, Obi noted that the country has only about 80 cardiothoracic surgeons serving a population of over 230 million people, with Professor Ekpe believed to be the only specialist in that field in Akwa Ibom State.

He called on authorities to uphold discipline and professionalism in public service, urging an end to what he termed “rascality and disorderliness” in official conduct. Obi maintained that Nigeria can function better when institutions operate within the bounds of civility, justice, and respect for human dignity.