By: Manoah Kikekon
IKEJA, LAGOS – Medical professionals across Lagos State took to the streets on Saturday to protest what they described as systematic harassment, illegal detentions, and intimidation by the Nigerian Police Force. The demonstration, held at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), highlighted a growing rift between security agencies and the healthcare sector that experts warn could cripple patient care.
The protest was jointly organized by the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), following a series of controversial arrests involving doctors and nurses.
The Chairman of the Lagos State ANPMP, Dr. Jonathan Esegine, delivered a stinging critique of law enforcement tactics, specifically naming the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti. He alleged that police officers frequently "abduct" doctors from their clinics, often while they are in the middle of attending to patients.
"Doctors are being hounded at will, harassed, intimidated, and imprisoned for no just cause," Dr. Esegine stated. "When a doctor is yanked away from their practice, services are shut down and patients are deprived of life-saving care."
Esegine cited a harrowing recent case in Lekki, where a doctor and nurse were detained for an entire week during the Easter period following the tragic death of two siblings brought to their facility in critical, septic conditions. Despite the medical team's best efforts, the police intervened and detained the staff before any professional investigation into the cause of death was conducted.
A primary concern raised during the protest was the shift toward defensive medicine. Doctors warned that the fear of being labeled a murderer by the police following a failed medical emergency is forcing practitioners to hesitate.
"When you confront a medical emergency, you now begin to ask yourself: should I attempt to save this life or not?" Dr. Esegine warned. "If it fails, the police will jump in. We are not God; we are trained to save lives, but we cannot guarantee them."
The medical leaders emphasized that outcomes in medicine are not always predictable, even with the highest standard of care, and that a patient's death does not automatically equate to professional negligence.
The National First Vice President of the NMA, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, reminded the public and security agencies that the police lack the technical expertise to determine medical malpractice. He asserted that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) is the only legally authorized body to investigate and adjudicate cases of alleged medical negligence.
Dr. Olowojebutu further warned that this environment of fear is accelerating the "brain drain" crisis in Nigeria’s health sector.
"We are patriotic; we do not want to leave Nigeria, but this police harassment is pushing us away," he said. "Let doctors breathe so we can solve our country's health problems with passion and empathy."
Adding to the pressure, the Lagos State NMA Chairman, Dr. Saheed Babajide Kehinde, noted that doctors are increasingly being "tried and convicted" on social media before facts are verified. He urged the media and the public to refrain from sensationalizing medical cases, as unfair judgment from both the public and security agencies puts the entire healthcare system at risk.