Published 24th Jan, 2024

By Opeyemi Lawal

Armed men believed to be affiliated with Hon. Suleiman Abdulrazak, a lawmaker in the Kogi State House of Assembly, have attacked health workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, over the death of his father-in-law.

In a thread shared on X, Dr. Currency, who was on the premises when the incident happened on Tuesday, said that the men broke through the entrance and demanded to see the doctors on duty at the accident and emergency unit. He said they then began to harass them and beat every health worker in sight.

“My team was called to the accident and emergency to review a new patient. A group of men in kaftans broke through the gate and started demanding for the doctors on duty,” the doctor wrote.

My team was called to the A&E to review a new patient. A group of men in kaftan broke through the gate and started demanding for the doctors on duty. Apparently, they lost a patient. And they came for the doctors. One of them, I learnt, is a political leader.
— Dr. Currency (@k_f2d) January 23, 2024

“Apparently, they lost a patient and they came for the doctors. One of them, I learnt, is a political leader. I was looking at them, confused because I didn’t even know the patient in question.

“The next thing, the leader stoned his phones at me. We were just three doctors there. We stood up from there and went inside. They broke into the room we were in, held me and my male colleagues, and almost tore our shirts.

“I was too confused to speak. There were many of them. We managed to break away from the accident and emergency unit and left for another ward.”

He said the men started to destroy equipment in the emergency ward and became violent until the hospital’s chief security officer came at them with a gun.

“These men started destroying things in the accident and emergency unit, beating any worker they saw, nurses, doctors, security,” said Dr. Currency.

“The CSO came at them with a gun, as they had become really violent. They wrestled the gun from the man, with several shots released during the struggle. The hospital gate was locked. We are currently hiding in different locations in the hospital.”

Meanwhile, Isah Amoto Ibrahim, an aide to Abdulrazak, accused the health workers of lying in a Facebook post. He said that the hospital staff had started the drama after causing his principal’s father-in-law’s death.

He said the deceased was referred to FMC Lokoja from Reference Hospital, Okene, over manpower to manage the situation but was unattended to for about three hours until he died.

“Upon arrival at the FMC, it took the management over 30 minutes to give their attention and receive a referred patient from another hospital. They took the patient into their emergency hall, withdrew his oxygen mask, laid him down on one of their beds and left,” he said.

“All this happened while doctors and nurses at the hospital reluctantly walked past the dying man in the emergency hall, leaving the gate to the hall fully padlocked [with] chains. After three good hours (from 3-6 pm) without attention or medications, the poor man gave up the ghost.

“All of a sudden, the staffers began to create a dramatic scene as they raised the unnecessary alarm that threw the whole hospital into a state of panic. Why? Because Hon. SAS proceeded into the emergency ward with his aides (security and staffers) to move the corpse of his father-in-law out of the hospital without their permission.

“All of a sudden, a man from nowhere and on mufti came out from one corridor of the hospital with an AK-47 rifle and fired a shot at us, at a very close range.

“Engr. Kabir Onoruoiza, who is an elder brother to Hon. SAS, luckily sustained only a bullet wound from the shot. Because he was closer to the armed man, he hurriedly held the mouth of the gun and grabbed it from him while the guy’s finger was still on the trigger and firing sporadically.”

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