Posted on: Tue 29-07-2025

The recent death of Akpan Blessing, a female officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has reignited national outrage over a long-standing and deadly practice in Nigeria’s healthcare system: the refusal to treat emergency victims without a police report.

Blessing was stabbed by unknown assailants in the early hours of Tuesday in front of her residence in Piawe, Bwari, Abuja. Despite being rushed to multiple hospitals—Gabriel Hospital, St. Theresa Hospital, and eventually Bwari General Hospital—she was denied immediate treatment at the first two facilities because she did not have a police report. By the time she reached the general hospital, it was too late.

“She was bleeding and dying, and they still insisted on a police report,” a friend of the deceased recounted. “Even after showing her NSCDC ID card, they refused to help. We kept moving her from one hospital to another until she died.”

This is not an isolated case. In June 2025, eight staff members at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jabi, Abuja—including doctors and nurses—were placed under investigation for allegedly neglecting accident victims brought in by a good Samaritan[1]. The victims were reportedly left unattended in the emergency unit, with one staff member allegedly citing a lack of gloves as a reason for inaction.

These incidents highlight a disturbing pattern: hospitals prioritizing bureaucracy over human life. Despite the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017, which mandates that all victims of violence must be treated immediately without requiring a police report, enforcement remains weak. 

Many healthcare providers continue to ignore the law, often out of fear of police harassment or legal repercussions.

Medical professionals and hospital administrators must be reminded that life comes first. The Hippocratic Oath and Nigerian law both demand that doctors act swiftly to save lives, not delay care over paperwork. Every minute lost in an emergency can mean the difference between life and death.

It is time for:

• Stricter enforcement of the 2017 Act
• Public awareness campaigns to educate both healthcare workers and citizens
• Legal protections for hospitals and doctors who act in good faith to save lives
• Accountability for institutions that continue to deny emergency care unlawfully

The death of Officer Blessing is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake. It is time for the Nigerian government, medical associations, and civil society to enforce existing laws, protect healthcare workers from legal intimidation, and ensure that no Nigerian dies because help was delayed by red tape.

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