The Commissioner of Police, Dare Ogundare, in Ekiti State has instructed a comprehensive investigation into the recent attack by hoodlums on Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) and the forceful removal of a deceased patient’s corpse.
The attack, allegedly carried out by members of a drivers’ union, resulted in the vandalism of the Accident and Emergency Unit and the forcible seizure of the corpse, prompting EKSUTH workers, including members of the Association of Resident Doctors, to go on strike.
The police spokesperson said normalcy had since returned to the hospital while law enforcement agents had been deployed to the facility to ensure the security of lives and property.
Abutu said, “The CP has ordered a thorough investigation into it. We have invited some persons who have been fingered; some of them are with us, and we are still expecting more to arrive for investigation.
“We (police) have had a meeting with the parties – the union, EKSUTH management, led by the CMD, the representatives of government, the family of the deceased, everybody was present in the Commissioner of Police’s office this (Tuesday) morning for a roundtable talk to see a way of resolving the matter.”
Also speaking, the chairman of the resident doctors’ association at the hospital, Dr Famous Adeyemi, said the strike would be ongoing until the assailants were apprehended.
“The hospital is calm, but the strike is still on. Our demands are clear: the culprits should be arrested and prosecuted immediately. I just got a call now that they have commenced the arrest, but until we are sure. If they arrest them, we will call off the strike and return to work,” Adeyemi said.
EKSUTH CMD, Prof. Kayode Olabanji, had on Monday condemned the attack on workers, vandalism of the hospital facilities and forcible removal of the corpse, saying, “The management will not tolerate any act of violence or mayhem being unleashed on members of staff of the hospital.”
The CMD had appealed to the members of staff to calm down as steps were being taken to ensure that such an incident did not recur, saying the management would not tolerate any act of molestation of its staff while discharging their duties.