'Enough Is Enough': Resident Doctors Threaten Nationwide Strike Over Rising Attacks on Healthcare Workers

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to embark on industrial action over the increasing cases of assaults on healthcare workers across the country, warning that continued inaction by authorities could disrupt services in the health sector.

The warning follows a series of attacks on doctors and other medical personnel in hospitals nationwide. One of the most notable incidents occurred in May at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Akwa Ibom State, where operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raided the facility and arrested Professor Eyo Ekpe, a cardiothoracic surgeon and Deputy Chairman of the hospital's Medical Advisory Committee.

The incident prompted the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Akwa Ibom State to embark on an indefinite strike and threaten legal action against the anti-graft agency, demanding N1 billion in damages over the alleged assault on healthcare workers.

In a statement signed in May and made available to journalists on Saturday, NARD revealed that no fewer than 17 tertiary health institutions recorded incidents of attacks on doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers within the past year.

The association warned that it could no longer guarantee industrial peace if the Federal Government fails to take decisive steps to address the growing menace.

According to NARD, concrete and visible actions must be taken to curb attacks on healthcare workers and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.

"If by the end of the May 2026 Ordinary General Meeting (OGM), concrete, visible, and decisive steps are not taken to curb this menace and bring all assailants to justice, the NARD National Officers' Committee (NOC) and other constitutional organs of the association will not guarantee industrial peace after the OGM," the statement read.

"We are, by this statement, putting the Federal Government and all relevant authorities on notice. The lives of Nigerian doctors and healthcare workers matter.

"An injury to one healthcare worker is an injury to the entire healthcare system. The time to act is now. Enough is enough."

NARD listed health institutions where assaults were reported to include the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan; Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo; Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu; Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka; Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara; and General Hospital, Warri.

Other affected facilities include Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki; FMC Jabi, Abuja; Kwara State University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin; Usman Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto; University of Uyo Teaching Hospital; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu; National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu; FMC Jalingo; National Hospital Abuja; and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

The association said more than 90 percent of the victims of these attacks are resident doctors, many of whom have suffered physical injuries, emotional trauma, destruction of personal property, and lasting psychological effects.

NARD lamented that, despite the severity of the incidents, victims often receive little more than apology letters from perpetrators.

"Even more heartbreaking is the fact that in most of these cases, victims received nothing more than mere apology letters while suffering severe physical injuries, emotional trauma, destruction of personal belongings, and psychological scars that may never heal," the association stated.

It further decried what it described as a dangerous culture of impunity, noting that although some suspects had been arrested and arraigned, none had been conclusively prosecuted or punished to deter future attacks.

According to NARD, the failure to ensure justice has emboldened hoodlums and even armed personnel to invade hospitals and intimidate healthcare workers.

"Today, hospitals that ought to be sanctuaries of healing have gradually turned into battlefields and bloodshed zones," the statement added.

The association also warned that incidents that previously involved verbal abuse have escalated into physical violence, including attacks with weapons, destruction of property, invasion of doctors' call rooms, and coordinated assaults on healthcare workers while on duty.

NARD urged the government and relevant stakeholders to take immediate action to safeguard healthcare workers and restore safety within medical facilities across the country.