By Kingsley Agim
The Cross River State Government has condemned the vandalism of facilities at the General Hospital, Calabar, following protests linked to a tragic accident involving students of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS).
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, described the incident as “unfortunate and overblown” during an on-the-spot assessment, confirming that infrastructure including an ambulance, electrical installations, doors, windows and ward equipment were damaged.
“We are assessing the extent of the damage. The ambulance screens have been broken, and parts of the hospital have been destroyed. We will also evaluate the impact on the wards,” he said.
Ayuk explained that the protest stemmed from a fatal road accident along the Calabar–Uyo highway, where some students reportedly died at the scene.
He clarified that injured victims brought to the General Hospital were promptly attended to, with critical cases referred to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) for specialised care.
READ ALSO: 3 UNICROSS Students, Staff Die in Auto Crash
“We responded immediately, coordinated with UCTH and created space in the casualty unit to handle the victims,” he said.
The Commissioner stressed that no deaths were recorded at the General Hospital, attributing tensions to misinformation.
“No patient died in this hospital. The deaths occurred at the scene. It is unfortunate that misinformation escalated the situation,” he added.
While acknowledging the right to peaceful protest, Ayuk said the destruction of public property undermines healthcare delivery and assured that the government would address any gaps in emergency response.
Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Nursing, Dr Esu Coco-Bassey, condemned the incident, alleging that the protest was hijacked and fueled by misleading social media reports.
“The accident happened along Odukpani Road, not in this hospital. Health workers attended to victims promptly, but unverified information triggered the protest,” he said.
A nurse in the casualty unit, Nurse Godwin Betiang, described how the situation turned chaotic, forcing staff and patients to flee.
“I saw a mob approaching, including a young man carrying a gun. We had to run for our lives,” he said.
He added that the protesters invaded wards, damaged equipment and disrupted care, with some patients affected in the confusion, while many others fled the hospital out of fear.
READ ALSO: UNICROSS Students Protest, Blame General Hospital for Mates’ Death
Meanwhile, a staff member of UNICROSS, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the situation escalated after suspected cultists hijacked what was initially planned as a candlelight procession in honour of the deceased students.
Converseer earlier reported that the students who protested at the General Hospital, Calabar, were chanting angry songs and became violent, attacking personnel and destroying hospital facilities.
The students who blamed the hospital for negligence alleged that their mates would not have died if the hospital had not rejected them when they were brought from the accident scene.
The students also took the protest to the governor’s office, where the security agents on duty dispersed the crowd with the use of teargas.
One of the students, Martha Nkom, said that after the crash, two of their colleagues who later died were rushed to the General Hospital but were not attended to due to the absence of doctors.
“The students were rejected because there were no personnel in the emergency unit and in a bid to transfer them to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), they died on the way.
“We are angry and we are here to show our disapproval of a shambolic system that has caused the death of our colleagues,” she said.
