By Francis Igata

ENUGU—The  management of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, FNHE, has denied using thugs and the police to disrupt the protest by union members.

The hospital also denied that one Mr. Alozie Ejimmadu, who is the leader of the protest, was attacked with an axe, describing the allegation as a political gimmick to gain cheap popularity.

The management of the hospital, in a statement in Enugu, by a Director in the hospital, Mr.  Ebi I. S said “At 5a.m., on June 4, 2015, Mr.  Ejimadu, a suspended nurse in the hospital in collaboration with two other suspended staff, locked the gate of the hospital from outside with chains so that both patients and staff of the hospital could neither leave nor go into the facility on the pretext of strike action.

“Some staff of the hospital who did not understand why Ejimadu could do that, tried to open the gate to enable patients and staff access to the hospital.  Confusion ensued, because Mr. Alozie and his suspended colleagues tried to prevent opening of the locked gate. Mr. Alozie, Mr. Tony Ozurumba and their cohorts engaged the staff that were trying to open the gate in a fight.  Eventually, the gate was opened when the police came and calmness returned.”

On the reasons that led to the suspension of some staff, the hospital management said “Mr. Ejimadu was suspended for some unethical posting he sent to facebook on high lethal dose he gave to a patient. The Nursing/Midwifery Council had started to investigate him while the whole world is reacting to the facebook post to get a clear picture of the magnitude of this gross misconduct and violation of patient’s rights.

“Mr. Anthony Ozurumba an auditor was suspended because while doing his National Service, he was still receiving full salary for the service period in the hospital without a break and getting paid also by the hospital.”