FMC Makurdi Shut, 802 Patients Evacuated Over Alleged Attack

BY Solomon Ayado

The authorities of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi, yesterday shut down the hospital and evacuated about 802 patients on admission because of alleged attack by gunmen on the area.
The permanent site of the hospital is sited at Apir, which is about 10 kilometres from Makurdi, the state capital. Apir is situated along the Makurdi-Otukpo expressway and the accident and emergency units as well as sub-units of administration and security departments of the health facility are located in it.
Gunmen had attacked some communities at Mbalom district, near Ikpayongo, which is not far from Apir area where the hospital is located.


The chief medical director of the FMC, Dr Mathias Oyigeya, told LEADERSHIP on phone that the closure of the hospital and sudden evacuation of patients was due to security breaches in the area. He said the hospital was not fenced.
Oyigeya said, “I am not in the state right now but the evacuation of the patients is because of these attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen. They had attacked some communities near the place and the hospital is not fenced, and so we had to take the move to beef up security and prevent any damage.”
Yesterday, ambulances and shuttle buses from the hospital were seen moving patients, beds and other health equipment to the Wadata branch. The medical personnel and administrative staff had also embarked on supervision of the exercise.
However, the hospital’s spokesperson, Mr Alex Ohenyi, told journalists that the action was to prevent unforeseen circumstances. He noted that “the hospital unit at Apir has become a war theatre and the management decided to shut the place and relocate the patients to enhance adequate security.”
Meanwhile, pandemonium broke out at Apir where the hospital is located, yesterday, when youths of the area barricaded the road leading to the place after they had noticed that patients and medical facilities were being moved out. The angry youths said they were hopeless since a government facility was being evacuated and adequate security was not provided by government.