Activities at the Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos, were temporarily disrupted on Tuesday after operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested a staff member at his duty post, triggering a protest by health workers at the facility.
The incident reportedly stemmed from a disagreement between the staff member and relatives of a patient over visitation.
Chairman of the National Union of Medical and Health Workers (NUMHW) at the hospital, Paul Godit, said the incident began when some relatives arrived at the hospital outside the approved visiting hours.
According to him, the staff member informed the visitors that it was not the appropriate time for visitation, following which one of the women allegedly insulted and slapped him.
Godit said the incident was reported to the hospital management, which promised to investigate the matter.
He, however, said DSS operatives later arrived at the hospital and took the staff member away while the issue was still being addressed.
The development angered the workers, who subsequently refused to reopen the facility despite appeals from security personnel, demanding the unconditional release of their colleague.
The action temporarily disrupted hospital activities and left some patients stranded.
A ward attendant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also alleged that she was assaulted by relatives of the patient while trying to prevent them from entering the children’s ward.
She claimed the visitors forced their way into the restricted ward despite being informed that visitation was not allowed.
The hospital’s main gate was initially shut, with security personnel stationed at the entrance, before it was later reopened.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain the hospital management’s reaction were unsuccessful.
The hospital’s spokeswoman, Talatu Angi, was said to be on leave, while her replacement, Hadiza Dabit, promised to respond to inquiries but had not done so.
Meanwhile, the arrested staff member was reportedly released later in the day.
The circumstances surrounding the arrest, including the reason the DSS intervened in the dispute, were not immediately clear.
