Some doctors in Akwa Ibom State say they are in fear of leaving their houses for work after alleged harassment by some policemen enforcing stay-at-home order to curtail coronavirus spread.
The medical practitioners lamented that despite the exception of doctors from the order, they experienced restriction from policemen.
The President, Association of Residents Doctors, University of Uyo, Dr Paul Walshak, said many of his colleagues were now unwilling to go to work.
Walshak spoke on the heels of the alleged assault on a senior registrar at the Surgical Department of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Dr David Daniel.
The doctor was reportedly on his way to work around 6pm on Friday when a policeman at a checkpoint along Nung Oku junction, Uyo, flagged him down.
The cop, Sergeant Alexander Edidiong, reportedly asked him to turn back despite identifying himself as a doctor.
In the ensuing altercation, Edidiong allegedly flogged the doctor with a stick, inflicting an injury on his forearm in the process.
Walshak, in a statement on Saturday said the incident undermined the safety of doctors and volunteers participating in the effort to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
He said, “A member of the association, Dr David Daniel Edet, one of the only two Senior Registrars currently on ground in the Surgical Department of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital was severely brutalised by an officer of the Nigeria Police, one Sergeant Alexander Edidiong of the Safer Highway division on the evening of April 3 while on his way to the hospital.
“Despite appropriately identifying himself as a doctor with his staff identity card and stating he was on his way to the hospital, Sgt Alexander Edidiong refused to let him pass the road block mounted along Nung Oku junction to enforce the restriction of movement order issued by the state government which clearly exempts healthcare care workers on essential duties.
“Dr Daniel continued to impress it on Sgt Edidiong on the need to allow him go to perform his essential duty but instead, the officer got angry and using a big stick, struck Dr Daniel on his left forearm leading to a fracture of the left ulna bone and dislocation of the left wrist which were confirmed by X-rays.
“There is a lot of fear among our ranks at this moment and justifiably so. Many are unwilling to leave their houses to work and even at the time of writing this release, we are still receiving reports from our members that officers of the police are still preventing them from moving to their places of work despite appropriate identification.”
Walshak said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Edgal Imohimi, was aware of the matter, adding that the association would take a legal action against the police.
He demanded the state police command to tender an apology within 48 hours and ensure that doctors moving around to provide healthcare services at this time were not harassed by policemen.
Calls put across to the Public Relations Officer in the state, CSP Nnudam Fredrick, were not picked up. He had yet to reply to an inquiry on actions taken by the command on the incident as of press time.
