Doctors shut down hospitals in Imo State over police brutality

 

Last week, there was a clash between doctors and  police in Owerri during a protest against the management of public hospitals and poor treatment of health workers by the state government, and some doctors were reportedly shot.


As a result of this, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) declared a shut down of all the hospitals in Imo state as a way of expressing their displeasure with the actions of the police and the modifications made to public hospitals by Okorocha.

In a press statement issued by NMA Chairman, Dr Hyacinth Emele, the actions of the police were criticized and they maintained that the police acted according to the instructions of some government officials.

He also stated that contrary to reports that the NMA never obtained permission for the protest, the protest had actually been monitored by the Assistant Commissioner of Police Bisong and Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of New Owerri, Eric Uchegbu, who came with six vans loaded with armed policemen, to escort the protesters.

The police vans which were escorting them, however, turned against them when they reached the Ware House roundabout. The police told them to end their protest at Freedom Square and not the Government House as contained in their permit. It was at that point the police began to throw teargas at them, eventually shooting some members with live bullets.