Thugs invade general hospital, attack health workers, patients

LIKE a thief in the night, suspected thugs in the late hours of Sunday stormed Orile-Agege General Hospital, Lagos State, stabbing everyone in sight – doctors, nurses and patients in the various wards, in protest against the treatment of their perceived enemy.

The thugs, numbering about 20, freely used cutlasses, knives, broken bottles and other dangerous objects on any one in sight as they raided the hospital for over 30 minutes around midnight, just after doctors had treated a man simply called Taiye, before carting away valuables and personal belongings. The thugs also invaded the engineering department, and office of the drivers, where they stabbed some of the staff.

A parent, who brought his daughter to the hospital, was also stabbed. The parent said when he was attacked, he told them he was a pastor and he was freed. But others were not that lucky.

According to a nurse, who does not want her name published because she was not authorized to speak to the media, said the thugs invaded the hospital because they wanted their earlier victim dead and not treated.

“They were angered when doctors saved his life. They wanted the man to die at all costs, but our doctors attended to him just to save his life. Before long, we suddenly saw the hoodlums invading the hospital with machetes, broken bottles and other weapons and started attacking everyone they came across,” she said.

Sources said that it took a long time before security operatives responded to the distress call and came to the rescue the occupants held hostage in the hospital. Some old men securing the gate of the hospital were not spared. They were beaten mercilessly.

Some of the in-patients yesterday morning appealed to the state government to provide security in all the state’s general hospitals to protect the lives of both the staff and patients.

Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Segun Olulade, promised to raise the issue of security in the State hospitals on the floor of the House as a matter of urgent public importance.