EFCC Explains Hospital Visit Amid Allegations of Resistance and Attack

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has provided a detailed account of an incident involving its operatives at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) in Akwa Ibom State, clarifying that the visit was a necessary step in an ongoing fraud investigation. According to the EFCC's Uyo Zonal Directorate, the operation was prompted by a suspect under remand who presented a medical report for authentication, a process crucial for the judicial proceedings.

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The Tuesday, May 12, 2026, visit of operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State was informed by the need to authenticate a medical report presented by a suspect under remand by Justice M.A Onyetunu of the Federal High Court, Uyo, for allegedly defrauding multiple micro finance banks, including University of Uyo Micro Finance Bank.

The Commission stated that it had made multiple attempts, including two formal letters dated March 11 and April 20, 2026, to the UUTH management to verify the medical report. However, these requests were allegedly met with no response, leading the Investigating Officer to visit the hospital in person to inquire about the status. Even after this personal visit, the EFCC claims no response was forthcoming, necessitating a final attempt to engage with the Chief Medical Director (CMD).

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The suspect had presented a medical report which required authentication by the UUTH management. The Commission wrote two different letters, dated March 11, 2026 and April 20, 2026, to the hospital management to this effect without receiving any response.

During this final engagement, the EFCC alleges that its operatives were met with hostility. The statement claims the CMD directed that the hospital gates be shut, preventing the operatives from leaving, and that they were subsequently attacked with stones and other objects by 'misguided staff.' Despite this provocation and alleged unlawful confinement, the EFCC asserts that its operatives exercised restraint, maintained professionalism, and eventually departed without disrupting hospital activities. The Commission reiterated its commitment to lawful operational engagements.

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As a last resort, operatives of the Commission visited the Chief Medical Director of the hospital on Tuesday to make further enquiries, only to be 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.