By The Metro 
Doctors at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, Ondo State, have embarked on a 72-hour warning strike and effectively shut down services at the hospital and its Akure Annex following the alleged assault of a medical doctor by a patient’s relative inside the facility.
The industrial action, which began on Sunday, comes amid growing concerns over repeated attacks on healthcare workers and what doctors describe as the failure of authorities to provide adequate security within government hospitals.
Sources who spoke to Sahara Reporters said the latest incident occurred at the FMC Owo and Akure Annex, where a doctor on call was allegedly slapped multiple times by the wife of a patient before a group of suspected thugs was mobilised to the hospital.
According to a source, hospital workers had to hide the doctor in a secure room to prevent further attacks after the situation escalated.
“Another doctor was harassed in FMC Owo and Akure Annex. He was slapped by the wife of a male patient, after which a group of thugs was mobilised to the hospital. Hospital staff had to put the doctor to safety in a room,” the source told SaharaReporters.
The source added that the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at FMC Owo subsequently declared a three-day strike over the incident and longstanding concerns about the safety of medical personnel.
“At the moment, the ARD has declared a three-day strike. FMC Owo and its Akure Annex have been on shutdown until the perpetrators are brought to justice and hospital management provides security, particularly in the Accident and Emergency Unit,” the hospital source said.
Another doctor who spoke anonymously lamented what he described as worsening insecurity and manpower shortages within the facility.
According to him, only a handful of doctors are currently available to provide emergency and outpatient services.
“No call meal since April. We are only four doctors doing calls, with GOPD (General Out-Patient Department) running 24 hours. Just one doctor covering Accident and Emergency and GOPD, and you still slapped a doctor several times,” he said.
“The doctor who was assaulted is the only person running the entire A&E and GOPD from Saturday morning till Monday. Just one doctor seeing all the cases. House officers don’t do such work. It is high time this stopped.”
The doctor warned that many healthcare workers now fear for their lives.
“Any little argument in the hospital, I normally disappear immediately to avoid trouble because the doctor is always the target. I’m scared for my life. If anything happens to me, nothing will be done. Until security is provided, I will not resume work,” he added.
Another source alleged that the attackers attempted to track down the doctor even after he was hidden by hospital staff.
“The first group were about five in number. They were planning to take the doctor away and bring him back dead. It took staff members to secretly lock him in a room for safety. Even then, they came to the room and tried to break through.
“They took photographs of the doctor and vowed to hunt him down across the town. Many doctors have lost their lives in situations like these,” the source claimed.
Following an emergency general meeting held on May 30, 2026, the ARD, FMC Owo, condemned the attack and announced a total warning strike.
In a communiqué signed by the association’s Secretary-General, Dr Dare Aderemi, and President, Dr Adeola Oluwadamilola, the doctors described the incident as another example of the growing violence healthcare workers face in the course of their duties.
The communiqué stated that the assaulted doctor was “slapped several times and manhandled” by both the patient and their daughter.
It noted that assaults on doctors had become a “recurring decimal,” adding that the latest attack was the second recorded incident within the year.
The doctors resolved to embark on a 72-hour total strike beginning at 8 a.m. on May 31.
They also demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible, the deployment of armed security personnel to the hospital and its annexes, and a public apology by the alleged assailant in a national newspaper.
The association further demanded compensation for the assaulted doctor.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has also threw its weight behind the strike action, condemning what it described as the “barbaric assault” on the doctor.
In a statement dated May 31, 2026, and signed by NARD President, Dr Mohammad Usman Suleiman; Secretary-General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim; and Publicity Secretary, Dr Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, the national body said it has received reports that a doctor was assaulted while carrying out his professional duties.
According to NARD, the attackers allegedly tore the doctor’s clothes, repeatedly slapped him and subjected him to degrading treatment.
The association further alleged that individuals linked to the attackers later invited thugs to continue the assault and issued threats against the doctor’s life.
“NARD unequivocally condemns this criminal, cowardly and utterly reprehensible act,” the statement said.
“It is deeply alarming that doctors and other healthcare workers, who daily risk their lives under extremely difficult conditions to save others, continue to face violence, intimidation, harassment and life-threatening attacks within hospital premises with little or no consequences for perpetrators.”
The association demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of all individuals involved in the attack, as well as those allegedly recruited to carry out further violence.
It also called for reinforced security measures across health facilities and compensation, protection and psychological support for the victim.
NARD warned that continued failure by government authorities and hospital managements to tackle violence against healthcare workers could trigger broader industrial action across the country.
“The recurring assaults on healthcare workers across Nigeria have become intolerable, unacceptable and dangerous to the survival of the nation’s healthcare system,” the association stated.
“NARD will no longer fold its arms while doctors are treated like criminals in the very institutions where they serve humanity.”
The association added that hospitals should not become “theatres of violence, intimidation and lawlessness,” insisting that the safety of healthcare workers is non-negotiable.
The strike has further disrupted medical services at FMC Owo and its Akure Annex, with patients and residents now facing uncertainty as doctors insist they will not return to work until their safety concerns are addressed and those responsible for the attack are brought to justice.