There is fresh crisis at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Uselu in Edo State, over the arrest and detention of four senior staff of the organization allegedly on the orders of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr Sunny Olotu.

National Mirror learnt on Sunday evening that the arrested staffs are Dr Ambrose Lawani [a consultant] a Principal Pharmacist, Uyi Oriakhi; a former Acting Managing Director of the hospital, Dr. Charles Ekeji; and Chief Social Welfare Officer, Miss Osadebamen Morgan.

However, the hospital management has swiftly reacted to the allegation, denying flatly that it has anything to do with the arrest and detention of the staffs since it was merely carrying out the request of the Nigeria Police Force that are investigating a certain criminal offence logged against the staffs and which requested their explanatory presence.

It was gathered that the workers were first summoned to the office of the MD/CEO when the police came to make the arrest and thereafter were handed over to the police, which promptly handcuffed them and took them away.

Our correspondent further gathered that the allegation centred on the arrested staff ’s unlawful attempt to obtain the work record of a certain staff, which was said to have transferred professional service from the Edo State Civil Service to the Federal Government Civil Service.

The staffs were allegedly first arrested by the police from Okhoro Division late last month. They were then released and re-invited last Thursday by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone ‘5’ after the police received fresh petitions.

The houses of three of the staffs were thereafter searched by the police apparently for any incriminating evidence before they were released later at night. However, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the hospital, Mr. Efe Stewart, has flatly denied that the hospital management has a hand in the travails of the staffs more than merely obeying the laws of the country.

He added that it was an attempt to get the record of the staff from her former place of work that leaked and eventually made the police to formally write the management for permission to invite the staff for questioning.

Stewart said, “The police wrote officially to the hospital management on the matter and the management cannot stop police from doing its job.

The case has nothing to do with management. They were invited by the police; their statements were taken after arrest; and they were later released.” But speaking on the development on Sunday evening, Counsel to the staffs, Mr. Olayiwola Afolabi, said his chamber has been appropriately briefed on the case and that he was preparing petitions to relevant authorities on what he perceived as injustice.