The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied allegations that its operatives assaulted or arrested staff members of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) during a recent visit to the medical facility in Akwa Ibom State.
The anti-graft agency also confirmed that it has ordered an investigation into the incident.
In a statement released on Friday in Abuja, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the officials from the commission’s Uyo Zonal Directorate visited the hospital on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, strictly for administrative purposes.
According to him, the EFCC operatives were at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital to authenticate a document and not to carry out arrests or enforcement actions.
“The presence of the commission’s operatives in the facility on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 was purely administrative, to facilitate the authentication of a document, rather than a tactical operation to effect arrest,” Oyewale stated.
The commission dismissed reports claiming that hospital workers were arrested or detained during the visit.
Oyewale explained that although some UUTH staff members accompanied EFCC officials to the zonal command, they were neither arrested nor held in custody.
“Contrary to the information making the rounds, no arrests were made and the staff of the hospital that followed our operatives to the Zonal Command were not detained,” he said.
The EFCC further described allegations of assault and brutalisation as false, noting that there was no visible evidence of injuries or bodily harm.
“We have not seen any physical evidence of such brutality in terms of bodily harm or injury to anyone, including to the staff members who addressed the media on this issue,” the statement added.
Despite denying the accusations, the commission said it had opened an internal investigation into the matter.
The EFCC assured the public that any operative found guilty of violating the agency’s Standard Operating Procedure would face disciplinary action.
The commission also cautioned against attempts to use the controversy to undermine Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign.
According to the EFCC, the incident should not be exploited by individuals seeking to discredit the agency or weaken the fight against corruption.
“The agency once again reassures the public, including medical staff of the UUTH, that the May 12 incident was an aberration, and should not be allowed to be exploited by some fifth columnists to undermine the fight against corruption in Nigeria,” the statement read.