A personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), named as Akpan Blessing, has died after being stabbed by yet-to-be-identified assailants in Piawe, Bwari, Abuja.
Early on Tuesday morning, Blessing was attacked in front of her home. Due to the lack of a police report, she was refused prompt medical attention despite being taken to several hospitals.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Monday, one of her upset friends disclosed that Blessing was initially brought to Gabriel Hospital before being transferred to St. Theresa Hospital in Bwari town.
“It hurts that we lost Officer Blessing, as she was affectionately known, because of a weak and disorganized system,” she said.
You insisted that a police complaint be made before someone could be helped when she was dying. We showed them her NSCDC identity card, yet they still didn’t treat her. Until she passed away, we continued to transfer her between hospitals.
Blessing was stabbed during a robbery attempt, according to another buddy.
“Someone attempted to rob her of her possessions when she was traveling somewhere. The companion recalled, “I suppose they had to stab her to get what they wanted.”
Blessing eventually lost a large quantity of blood and was sent to Bwari General Hospital, where the on-duty medical staff pronounced her dead.
When contacted, Josephine Adeh, a spokesman for the FCT police, stated that the event was not reported to the police and directed questions to the NSCDC for more information.
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In a same vein, NSCDC spokesperson Babawale Afolabi said that the agency’s FCT Command was the only entity qualified to offer an official stance on the subject. As of the time of writing, Olusola Odumosu, the FCT Commandant, had not returned several calls.
The hospitals’ failure to treat the victim without a police report was denounced by Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), in response to the incident.
According to Nwanguma, “The fact that a victim of violence was left to perish while awaiting police documentation indicates a serious breakdown in the policing and healthcare systems.”
In addition to being tragic, this is a clear breach of Nigerian law. According to the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act of 2017, all hospitals—public and private—must offer victims of gunshot wounds or life-threatening injuries prompt, appropriate care without requiring a police report before beginning treatment.
