Health workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State, have issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the hospital management following the stabbing of a laboratory scientist by a patient’s relative, escalating a crisis that has thrown the facility into turmoil and renewed urgent questions about the safety of medical personnel in Nigeria.
The FMC Abeokuta 72-hour ultimatum was declared after a joint congress of health workers convened to address the attack and the broader crisis of violence against medical staff.
The ultimatum demands that the hospital management take decisive action to guarantee the safety of workers and address the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.
THE STABBING
The incident occurred on Monday night, according to information obtained from sources. The laboratory scientist, identified as Mr Lawal, was reportedly stabbed by a patient’s relative at the hospital.
The circumstances leading to the alleged stabbing, including the identity of the patient’s relative involved and the current condition of the laboratory scientist, were not immediately clear.
It was also unclear whether the hospital management or security agencies had taken any action over the incident at the time of the initial reports.
THE CONGRESS AND THE ULTIMATUM
Following the stabbing, health workers at the hospital convened a joint congress to discuss the incident and address concerns surrounding the safety of medical personnel.
The congress has now issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the hospital management, demanding concrete action on the safety and security of health workers. The specific demands included in the ultimatum have not been fully disclosed, but the move signals a significant escalation in the standoff between staff and management.
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE AGAINST HEALTH WORKERS IN OGUN STATE
The stabbing is the latest in a long and troubling pattern of violence against health workers in Ogun State, and particularly at facilities in Abeokuta.
Earlier this year, in June 2026, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of individuals who assaulted a medical doctor and other healthcare workers at the Mother and Child Hospital, Mowe, an annex of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital (NPH), Aro, in Ogun State, following the death of a critically ill patient.
According to NARD, relatives of the deceased patient accused a doctor of causing the patient’s death following the administration of intravenous medication as part of emergency medical care.
The relatives allegedly descended on the doctor and other healthcare workers, physically assaulting them.
In what NARD described as a “disturbing twist,” the police reportedly arrested the assaulted doctor, alongside a nurse and an administrative staff member who had attempted to rescue him from the attack, while the actual assailants walked free.
“Healthcare workers are not punching bags. An injury to one is an injury to all,” NARD said in its statement.
THE ARO PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL INCIDENT
The pattern extends beyond physical assault by patients’ relatives. In July 2025, the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, was engulfed in controversy following an altercation between the Head of Clinical Services, Dr. Olayinka Majekodunmi, and a post-basic psychiatric nursing student, Seyi Ogunjobi.
The incident, which occurred during a ward round on June 30, 2025, arose from a dispute over seating arrangements.
Dr. Majekodunmi admitted to using foul language, calling the student “stupid” and “a bastard” but denied physical assault.
The hospital management, led by Medical Director and Provost Dr. Paul Agboola, constituted a panel that found the student’s account inconsistent and suspended him as a “corrective measure.”
Dr. Majekodunmi received a strongly worded warning letter. The suspension sparked outrage. The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Aro chapter, issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding the student’s reinstatement and threatened service withdrawal.
The crisis deepened when reports emerged that the suspended student, Ogunjobi, had attempted suicide following what sources described as sustained verbal intimidation and humiliation.
He was reportedly rescued by colleagues before he could carry out the act.
The Elegant Nurses Forum, in a statement, accused the medical director of orchestrating “a reign of tyranny” and called for international sanctions, including travel blacklists and visa bans.
EARLIER INCIDENTS AT FMC ABEOKUTA
The stabbing of Mr Lawal is not the first violent incident at FMC Abeokuta. In 2020, resident doctors at the hospital staged a one-day warning strike after a doctor was allegedly slapped by a patient’s relative inside the paediatric department.
In December 2022, a medical doctor, Dr Pelumi Somorin, was attacked by the husband and son of a 53-year-old patient who died at the hospital. The doctor received slaps from both individuals and was only saved by people around.
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The assailants were taken to Kemta Police Station.
Also in 2022, another medical worker was attacked by a patient’s relative after losing a family member.
In 2023, a man and his son allegedly attacked a female doctor and a nurse after the death of a family member at the same hospital.
In July 2026, NARD and other groups raised alarm over how theft, vandalism and assault were driving doctors out of wards at FMC Abeokuta.
The management of the hospital had in 2021 vowed not to tolerate any form of threats and breaches of the safety and security of lives of its healthcare team, with the Acting Medical Director, Dr Fidelis Ojeblenu, saying the hospital had overhauled its security architecture to forestall any ugly occurrence.
That promise has clearly not been enough.
THE NATIONAL CONTEXT
The FMC Abeokuta attack reflects a wider national crisis.
Across Nigeria, doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and other health professionals face verbal abuse, threats and physical assault in the course of their duties. The causes are varied: frustration over waiting times, grief over patient outcomes, misunderstandings about medical procedures and, in some cases, criminal intent.
The consequences are serious. Health workers who fear for their safety may be less willing to work in certain facilities or may leave the profession entirely. Patients suffer when the people who care for them are not protected.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The 72-hour ultimatum places the hospital management under significant pressure. If the demands are not met, health workers may take industrial action, further disrupting services at a facility that serves thousands of patients in Ogun State and beyond.
The condition of Mr Lawal, the stabbed laboratory scientist, remains a critical concern. His recovery will depend on the severity of his injuries and the speed of medical intervention.
ValidViewNetwork reports that the 72-hour ultimatum has been issued. The hospital management has not yet responded publicly to the demands. The health workers are waiting — and the clock is ticking.
