Narrow Escape: Nurse Lands in ICU After ‘One-Chance’ Operators
Abuja, Nigeria – 19 February 2026
A nurse at Wuse General Hospital in Abuja is in intensive care after sustaining serious injuries in a suspected “one-chance” robbery while travelling home from work.
The attack follows her decision to extend her shift voluntarily to support a colleague, underscoring the risks faced by healthcare workers in Nigeria’s capital amid persistent urban insecurity.
How the attack unfolded
The nurse finished her scheduled afternoon duties but stayed behind to help the night-shift team stabilise a critically ill patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
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Once she left the hospital to commute home, suspected “one-chance” operators , criminals who pose as legitimate drivers to rob or assault passengers attacked her. She was beaten and left seriously wounded. Emergency services responded, and she was admitted to an ICU for ongoing treatment.
NANNM’s response
The Federal Capital Territory chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the incident. Signed by Chairman Dr Jama D. Medan, it labelled the assault “yet another brutal attack on an innocent nurse”.
“This dedicated nurse had stayed behind after her shift to assist the night-duty nurse in stabilising a critical patient in the ICU, an act of selfless service only to be attacked, beaten, and left seriously wounded,” Dr Medan said.
The union expressed deep concern over recurring violence against nurses in areas including Wuse, Asokoro, Kubwa, Maitama, Kuje and Gwarinpa. It noted that many female nurses now consider commuting unsafe, with bus stops near hospitals frequently described as “death traps”.
NANNM demanded:
- An immediate, comprehensive investigation to identify, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators as a deterrent.
- FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to instruct the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and other agencies to bolster surveillance around healthcare facilities and maintain regular patrols at high-risk transport points.
- Official recognition of healthcare worker safety as a national priority.
“No healthcare worker should risk their life simply for serving humanity,” the statement read. “Nurses cannot continue to serve under constant threat to their lives. We demand immediate, decisive and sustained action.”
A disturbing pattern
This incident revives memories of the January 2026 killing of Nurse Chinemerem Pascalina Chuwumeziem from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi. After completing her afternoon shift on 3 January, she boarded a vehicle home but was never seen alive again. Her body was found dumped roadside the following day, with suspicions pointing to “one-chance” operators. NANNM condemned that case strongly, yet no public updates on arrests or prosecutions have emerged.
Expert perspective: Impact on Nigeria’s nursing workforce
As a platform rooted in nursing advocacy across Africa, Fellow Nurses Africa sees these repeated attacks as a serious threat to workforce morale and retention. Night- and shift-based healthcare roles already carry physical and emotional demands; adding the fear of violent crime on the journey home risks accelerating burnout, absenteeism and emigration among skilled professionals.
Safeguarding frontline nurses is not merely a security issue – it is fundamental to sustaining public health services in a country facing chronic staffing shortages.
Fellow Nurses Africa will track updates on the victim’s recovery and any investigative developments.
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Fellow Nurses Africa is the independent voice of African nursing, we educate, inform and support nurses across Africa
