Gunmen attack Akure health centre; nurses consider boycotting night shifts

Armed men have robbed and assaulted health workers at a government primary health centre in the heart of Akure, leaving staff stripped of their clothing and abandoned in a bush — an attack so brazen that Nigeria’s nurses’ union in Ondo State is now threatening to withdraw from night duty across the entire state unless urgent security measures are put in place.

The Ondo State Police Command confirmed the attack at the Basic Health Centre in Oke Ijebu, Akure, which took place at approximately 2:00 am on Saturday. Three suspects armed with a pump-action rifle and cutlasses reportedly invaded the facility after scaling the perimeter fence. The suspects, who arrived in an unregistered black Toyota Venza parked along the main road, forcefully dispossessed three staff members on duty of their personal belongings including mobile phones and a POS terminal.

After robbing the health workers, the attackers ordered the victims to remove their clothing before abandoning them in the bush. The victims were not rescued by anyone, according to the police, but found their way to safety with the assistance of nearby personnel of the Nigerian Correctional Service along the Olokuta axis. Sources familiar with the incident also disclosed that the victims were compelled to transfer money to accounts provided by the attackers before being released.

The police moved swiftly to clarify the nature of the incident, which was initially described as a kidnapping by the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun. The Ondo State Police Command dismissed the abduction claims, maintaining that the victims were not abducted but were robbed and temporarily taken away before being abandoned — a distinction the command said was important given the different criminal and investigative implications. Commissioner of Police Adebowale Lawal assured residents that tactical and surveillance teams had been deployed to track down the perpetrators.

The police spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, confirmed that patrols have been intensified and collaboration with other security agencies and local vigilante groups has been strengthened to enhance safety across the state. He urged members of the public to remain calm, vigilant, and law-abiding, and to promptly report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station or security agency.

But the nurses who live and work through these nights are no longer willing to wait for assurances. The Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Ondo State Council, Comrade Felix Orobode, confirmed that staff told him attackers “beat staff mercilessly” and stole money and other belongings before whisking some health workers away. He issued a stark warning: “I want to make this clear, we are not going to wait until our members are kidnapped and we begin to raise ransom. If government fails to secure our facilities, nurses will withdraw from night duty across Ondo State.”

Orobode pointed to the glaring inadequacy of security arrangements at public health facilities, noting that many centres rely on elderly, unarmed, and untrained guards. “You can see the security man here, an elderly man, unarmed, without any security training. That is what we have in most of our facilities,” he said, warning that fear among health workers could severely impact night-time service delivery.

The Oke Ijebu attack is the latest in a deeply troubling pattern of targeted violence against healthcare workers in Ondo State. In February 2026, gunmen abducted a couple in Ilu-Abo community in Akure North Local Government Area. Earlier in March 2026, kidnappers seized a council official and another victim in Akure North, reportedly demanding ransom. In a separate incident, a health worker was shot dead in Akure while his young son was abducted, and in 2025, a staff member of the Federal Medical Centre in Owo was abducted from his residence, underscoring the persistent and escalating threat to medical personnel across the state.