Armed robbers on Sunday,
allegedly stole three babies at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and
also left the facility with some cash.
The armed robbers numbering
about 10, stormed the paediatric unit of the University of Calabar Teaching
Hospital, reportedly assaulted nurses on duty as well as nursing mothers and
pregnant women in an operation and also stole mobile telephones in the attack which
lasted for less than 10 minutes.
The robbers who didn’t wear
masks, were well armed and easily gained entry into the maternity section, and
moved from bed to bed to pick up the babies. Punch reported that a nurse seen
consoling a sobbing nursing mother who pleaded not to be named, said;
“Yesterday (Sunday) night,
several armed robbers gained access to this (paediatric) unit. They came with
guns and machetes. They beat up my colleagues and some nursing mothers. They
took away some babies and money from the patients and nursing mothers.
“The security in this
hospital has been very porous. Lives of patients, nurses and doctors are at
risk. There is nowhere in this hospital that is safe. There is so much stealing
going on. Visitors are no longer controlled. People troop into the wards
without any check. Many, including thieves, come in the guise of being
patients’ relatives.
“Hospital properties are
stolen frequently, while electricity supply is a big challenge in the hospital,
because the diesel and generator parts are stolen frequently by the workers and
armed robbers.”
Chief Medical Director,
UCTH, Prof. Thomas Agan, denied the occurrence of the incident when he was contacted
on the phone on Monday, as it was further gathered that personnel of private
security firms and regular policemen had for some months now withdrawn their
services to the hospital over non-payment of their salaries by the management
of the health institution several months.
The state Police Public
Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, also said the incident had not been reported to
the command.
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