Outrage as Doctor Brutally Attacked by Patient’s Relatives at FMC Owo

Outrage as Doctor Brutally Attacked by Patient’s Relatives at FMC Owo

8 February 2026
By Fellow Nurses Africa Health Desk

A resident doctor at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Owo, Ondo State, was brutally assaulted while on duty, sparking widespread condemnation from the medical community and renewed calls for urgent protection of healthcare workers across Nigeria.

Dr Adeniyi A., a registrar in the Department of Internal Medicine, was physically attacked on Thursday 5 February 2026 at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit. According to the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the assailants were a group of individuals alleged to be relatives of a surgical patient.

The attack has been described by NARD as “reprehensible, barbaric, and a direct assault on the medical profession and the Nigerian healthcare system”. The association emphasised that the incident occurred in a place intended to preserve life, safety and dignity making the violence particularly alarming.

Pattern of violence against healthcare workers

NARD highlighted a disturbing and recurring pattern of attacks on doctors and other health professionals nationwide. The group pointed to grossly inadequate security arrangements in many public hospitals as a major contributing factor.

“Hospitals must not become killing fields,” the association stated in a strongly worded press release issued on 5 February 2026 and signed by its national leadership, including President Dr Mohammad Usman Suleiman and Secretary General Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim.

The statement warned that the increasing readiness of members of the public to resort to physical aggression against healthcare workers is both dangerous and unlawful.

NARD’s non-negotiable demands

In response to the assault, NARD has issued the following demands to hospital management, security agencies and relevant authorities:

• Full compensation for the pain, trauma and suffering endured by Dr Adeniyi
• Complete coverage of all medical expenses arising from the incident without delay
• Immediate and comprehensive upgrading of security infrastructure at all entry points, clinical areas and strategic locations within FMC Owo to prevent recurrence
• Prompt arrest and diligent prosecution of all perpetrators to serve as a deterrent

The association made clear that failure to meet these demands would force it to take all legitimate steps necessary to protect its members and defend the integrity of medical practice in Nigeria.

NARD also commended the leadership and members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at FMC Owo for their unity, vigilance and swift response to the incident.

Broader implications for patient care

Experts in healthcare policy and patient safety warn that repeated violence against frontline workers undermines morale, contributes to brain drain, and ultimately reduces the quality and availability of emergency and specialist care especially in secondary and tertiary facilities that already face chronic understaffing.

The incident at FMC Owo is the latest in a series of reported attacks on doctors and nurses in Nigerian hospitals, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of current security protocols and the legal consequences faced by assailants.

Dr Adeniyi is receiving medical attention and NARD has wished him a full and speedy recovery.

Fellow Nurses Africa stands in solidarity with Dr Adeniyi, all resident doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who continue to deliver essential services under increasingly difficult and unsafe conditions.

We will continue to monitor developments and report on any official responses from the hospital management, Ondo State government or federal authorities.

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