COVID-19: Armed protesters attack FMC Lokoja, cart away files, equipment

Armed protesters on Wednesday attacked the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

According to reports, the protesters who were said to have been armed with dangerous weapons, destroyed the administrative block and carted away computers and files reportedly relating to Covid-19.

According to a source at the hospital, the protesters numbering about 50 also carried placards with various inscriptions.

Read also: Kogi State Chief Judge, Nasir Ajanah dies of covid-19

According to reports, the protest may not be unconnected to the management of the coronavirus disease in the state.

The placards, according to sources, read, ‘The state government is not doing anything about the excesses of FMC, Lokoja’; ‘Please help us PMB’; There is isolation centre in FMC, Lokoja with equipment, why are they unutilised?’; ‘Other FMC across the federation are handling the pandemic, GYB/PMB, come to our rescue’.

Reports further has it that the intervention of men of the state Police Command, however, prevented the situation from escalation.

The management of the hospital and the spokesman of the Kogi State Police Command are however yet to make any comment on the incident.

Sources within the hospital insist that the protest though rowdy and carried out by suspected thugs was evidently stage managed, since the protesters knew exactly what they wanted by targeting files and computers related to covid-19.

He said it was even more suspicious, seeing that the attack on the FMC came at a time the hospital already perfected arrangement with NCDC on sending samples for COVID-19 tests, and the thugs destroyed and carted away computers and documents containing potential COVID-19 patients’ records, and patients at the hospital chased out.

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