Daud Olatunji
Nurses at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Ogun State, on Thursday, reportedly staged a protest and declared an immediate strike after a colleague was allegedly slapped, beaten and strangled by a relative of a deceased patient during a night shift.
The incident, which reportedly occurred at the hospital’s Children’s Ward on Wednesday, October 14, has reignited concerns about the safety of healthcare workers, alleged staff shortages and security arrangements at the state-owned tertiary hospital.
The development comes just days after health workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State, reportedly declared a warning strike over the assault of their colleagues by a patient’s relative, raising fresh concerns about recurring attacks on medical personnel in the state’s health facilities.
The back-to-back incidents have intensified calls for stronger security measures and accountability in hospitals, where healthcare workers are expected to attend to emergencies while dealing with distressed patients and relatives.
The assaulted OOUTH nurse, identified as Nurse Adeeko, reportedly sustained injuries, suffered a temporary loss of consciousness and was subsequently taken to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department for treatment.
The protest on Thursday followed demands by nursing staff for an impartial investigation into the alleged assault, improved security coverage, adequate staffing and assurances that healthcare workers would not be exposed to violence while attending to patients.
According to an incident report obtained by SaharaReporters, the confrontation occurred after the death of a critically ill child reportedly diagnosed with end-stage neuroblastoma.
The report indicated that the nursing team had informed the attending medical team about the child’s deteriorating condition and allegedly requested a referral to another hospital for further management.
However, the report claimed that the referral was not carried out before the child died.
The deceased child’s relatives were also alleged to have threatened to cause trouble if anything happened to the patient.
Following the death, one of the relatives allegedly turned violent and attacked Adeeko while she was on duty.
The incident report further stated that two patients reportedly suffered cardiac arrest around the same period, leaving the two nurses on duty attending to separate medical emergencies.
While the nurses were occupied with efforts to save the critically ill patients, the deceased child’s relative allegedly attacked Adeeko.
Sources familiar with the incident told SaharaReporters that the nurse was repeatedly slapped and strangled, resulting in injuries that caused her nose to bleed.
A colleague who witnessed the incident reportedly rushed to seek assistance from hospital security personnel but alleged that the response was not immediate.
According to a source, the colleague was directed to seek help from security personnel at the hospital’s main gate, which was said to be some distance from the Children’s Ward.
The supervisor on duty was eventually contacted, while the police were reportedly called to intervene.
The incident report also alleged that the deceased patient’s relatives returned to the ward at about 1:25 a.m. and continued threatening members of the nursing staff.
Adeeko reportedly lost consciousness during the confrontation and was subsequently taken to the Accident and Emergency Department.
In a message circulated among colleagues, the nurse expressed concern about the lack of immediate photographic evidence of her injuries.
“So I don’t really have evidence now. The only witness is one nurse, Nurse Lasis, the treasurer for NANNM,” she reportedly said.
The circumstances surrounding the alleged assault, including the reported delay in security intervention, have become central to the nurses’ demands for an independent investigation.
Following the incident, nurses at OOUTH staged a protest on Thursday, demanding justice for their colleague and urgent measures to protect healthcare workers.
Information from participants indicated that the nurses declared an immediate strike, with plans to resume work on Monday.
Younger nurses, including members of Generation Z, were reportedly among those who spearheaded the protest before other colleagues joined them.
The protesting nurses demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged assault and the threats reportedly made against healthcare workers.
They also called for an investigation into the alleged failure of security personnel to respond promptly when assistance was requested during the confrontation.
Other demands reportedly include adequate security coverage during night shifts, medical and psychological support for Adeeko, a review of staffing arrangements and an examination of the clinical concerns allegedly raised before the child’s death.
The nurses further requested written assurances from the hospital management that effective measures would be introduced to prevent similar incidents.
The protesters maintained that although the death of a critically ill child could be devastating for the family, it did not justify violence against healthcare workers.
“No nurse should have to choose between responding to a medical emergency and protecting herself from violence,” the nurses reportedly said in their statement.
Sources also alleged that nursing leaders were being pressured to persuade the protesting workers to return to duty rather than address their grievances.
One source claimed that the hospital’s Chief Medical Director instructed nursing leaders to appeal to the protesting nurses to resume work.
The allegations surrounding management’s response could not be independently established from the available information.
The OOUTH protest has added to growing concerns about the safety of healthcare workers following the reported warning strike at FMC Abeokuta over the assault of medical personnel by a patient’s relative.
The two incidents, occurring within days of each other in Ogun State, have drawn attention to the risks healthcare workers face while discharging their duties in public hospitals.
Attacks on medical personnel can disrupt hospital operations, undermine staff morale and potentially affect the delivery of essential healthcare services.
The incidents have also highlighted the need for hospital authorities to establish effective procedures for handling aggrieved patients and relatives, particularly during emergencies and night shifts.
While relatives may become distressed following the deterioration or death of loved ones, healthcare workers and professional bodies have repeatedly stressed the importance of resolving grievances without resorting to violence.
The latest developments have consequently raised questions about the adequacy of security arrangements in the affected facilities and the measures being taken to prevent further attacks.
The assault has also brought renewed attention to longstanding allegations of inadequate nursing personnel, excessive workloads and unsafe working conditions at OOUTH.
In August 2026, an X user, Kay, with the handle @Oluwakayode_001, raised concerns about the reported shortage of nurses at OOUTH, particularly in the care of newborns requiring intensive monitoring.
In a series of posts dated August 31, the user alleged that a single nurse had been left responsible for 18 neonates, including babies requiring specialised care.
“How is it acceptable for ONE nurse to be left managing 18 neonates?” the user asked.
The posts highlighted the demanding nature of neonatal nursing, which involves monitoring vital signs, feeding, administering medication, changing diapers, documenting clinical observations and responding to emergencies.
The user further alleged that some of the babies were receiving continuous positive airway pressure respiratory support, while others were being kept under radiant warmers and required close monitoring.
“Sometimes, it’s 2 nurses to 16+ patients,” the user wrote, adding that younger nurses were allegedly told that their predecessors had worked under similar conditions.
“We’ve done it before, so the younger nurses should do it too,” the user quoted the alleged response.
Rejecting that justification, the user argued that previous exposure to unsafe working conditions should not be used to normalise them.
“That is not how patient safety should work. Enduring unsafe staffing in the past does not make unsafe staffing acceptable today,” the post stated.
The allegations have raised questions about whether the hospital has adequate personnel to manage emergencies while maintaining safe standards of care.
However, the claims about nurse-to-patient ratios and staffing levels remain allegations and require independent verification by the hospital management and relevant authorities.
The reported assault and earlier staffing allegations have generated reactions on social media, with some users blaming government authorities and hospital management for what they described as persistent failures in the public healthcare system.
An X user identified as DØÇTÖR CRUÏS£, with the handle @ThatCruiseMedic, criticised the alleged reliance on poorly paid National Youth Service Corps nurses instead of employing more permanent nursing personnel.
“They would look for NYSC nurses and pay them 20k (N20,000) a month than employ a permanent staff,” the user wrote.
“Our healthcare system is rubbish,” the user added.
Another user, Kay, argued that the reported workload raised serious concerns about patient safety and the welfare of nurses.
The user also faulted the alleged expectation that younger nurses should endure working conditions because previous generations had experienced similar challenges.
Reacting to the reported workload involving critically ill newborns, another user, Ojukwu Wisdom, expressed concern about the psychological and emotional pressure nurses could face when caring for numerous vulnerable patients without adequate support.
“I can’t even imagine this. I love babies and can’t even imagine the psychosocial hazard this will bring me especially if anything goes wrong because of the staff shortage. Ah!” the user wrote.
Another user, Royalty, described the reported working conditions as “a suicide mission”, while an X user identified as Insider questioned why more nurses were not being recruited.
Responding to the recruitment question, Kay attributed the alleged staffing problems to government inaction, inadequate remuneration and the conduct of nursing leadership.
“The government,” the user wrote, while also alleging that nursing leaders continued to present the situation as though staffing levels were adequate.
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