Panic broke out on Monday morning at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jabi, Abuja, after teargas canisters allegedly fired by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) drifted into the hospital premises, leaving patients, pregnant women and caregivers gasping for breath.
The chaos followed a mass protest staged at the EFCC headquarters by hundreds of loyalists of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who arrived earlier at the anti-graft agency’s office over an invitation linked to alleged multi-billion-naira corruption during his eight-year tenure.
It was learnt that El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, drove into the EFCC facility under heavy security.
He was reportedly accompanied by political associates and supporters who had gathered at the entrance of the commission’s headquarters since the early hours of Monday.
The large turnout triggered a massive security reinforcement around the premises.
Armed operatives were deployed strategically as the crowd swelled, causing severe gridlock along the busy Jabi-Airport Road corridor and paralysing vehicular movement for hours.
The tension was said to had escalated when security personnel moved to disperse the protesters after repeated warnings to vacate the area were allegedly ignored. Shortly after, multiple teargas canisters were discharged into the crowd.
However, in what hospital sources described as a grave operational miscalculation, the thick fumes drifted across the perimeter fence of the EFCC complex into the adjoining Federal Medical Centre, disrupting medical services and triggering widespread panic.
“It was absolute chaos,” a hospital staff member told SaharaReporters.
“Patients were coughing uncontrollably, their eyes were burning and streaming with tears. Some began crying in fear. Nurses were trying to calm everyone while also struggling to breathe.”
A pregnant woman who had arrived for routine antenatal care described the ordeal as traumatic and frightening.
“Even inside the hospital building, people were struggling to breathe. My eyes filled with tears immediately and I started coughing non-stop. We were running into each other in panic. Nobody knew where to go,” she said.
She questioned the decision to deploy chemical agents so close to a medical facility. “This is a hospital with sick people, pregnant women, children. Firing teargas near here is reckless. What if something had happened to my baby?”
Witnesses said some patients covered their noses with face masks and pieces of cloth in desperate attempts to filter the choking fumes, while others retreated deeper into wards. Medical personnel were seen shutting windows and doors and evacuating vulnerable patients from exposed areas to minimise inhalation.
The EFCC headquarters shares close proximity with the Federal Medical Centre, a development now drawing criticism from civil society observers who argue that crowd-control tactics must take into account nearby sensitive facilities such as hospitals.
The former governor’s invitation is reportedly connected to allegations of financial misappropriation, diversion of public funds and questionable contract awards during his tenure. Investigators are said to be examining transactions allegedly running into over N36billion.
