…HOD denies assault, insists no water excuse was false
…Police petition filed as management probes incident
…Disregard the ENF petition, they are illegal — top officer warns
by: Moyinoluwa Akinpelu & Tunde Olaosebikan
A senior officer in the Nursing Department of the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, has described the controversy trailing an alleged assault on a Chief Nursing Officer as a case of “outright professional misconduct”, faulting the refusal of a nurse to carry out her clinical duty as the remote cause of the crisis.
The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident stemmed from a failure to prepare a catheter tray for a medical procedure, contrary to established nursing practice, stressing that water was available in the unit at the time despite claims to the contrary.
She explained that a doctor had requested a tray for catheter change, but the nurse allegedly declined on the grounds that there was no water to wash the tray due to an ongoing strike by some non-clinical workers.
According to her, water was preserved in three different locations within the unit, including patients’ and staff toilets and the treatment room.
She further disclosed that inquiries revealed the nurse had never set a tray in the unit since her posting almost a year earlier, adding that “the first thing we do in the morning is to set trays for procedures of the day clinic.”
The senior officer faulted the nurse for failing to think “outside the box”, noting that as a Chief Nursing Officer, she should have explored alternatives such as sourcing sachet water or instructing junior staff to fetch water from neighbouring clinics.
“For me, everything about this matter is professional misconduct,” she said, criticising the nurse for failing to inform her Head of Unit, sectional head or co-administrator, and for instead turning patients away, including those who had been on catheter for weeks and could suffer severe pain if care was delayed.
She also said management was intermittently pumping water into the facility, adding that many senior nurses often personally sourced water to keep services running during the strike.
Meanwhile, the Head of Nursing Services, HNS, FMC Abeokuta, Nurse Abosede Fagoyinbo, has dismissed allegations that she assaulted a Chief Nursing Officer, Nurse Oluwakemi Odusola, describing the claims as malicious and unfounded.
The clarification followed reports that Odusola was assaulted during a meeting convened after she allegedly refused to provide water for clinical services on 15 January 2026. Odusola had claimed that Fagoyinbo assaulted her while questioning her at the instance of hospital management.
Fagoyinbo, however, said Odusola was invited to defend an allegation of negligence of duty after she failed to set a catheter tray for the medical team, a responsibility she allegedly declined on the excuse that there was no water, which was later found to be untrue.
She stated that during the meeting, Odusola became unruly while being advised on the need to go the extra mile to ensure patients were treated and for failing to notify her superiors of the situation.
“On the said date, the nurse in question was asked by the medical team to prepare catheterisation trays for urology patients, the request she turned down, saying it was not part of her job,” she said, adding that water was available in the treatment room and toilets, contrary to Odusola’s claim.
The HNS further disclosed that Odusola was later issued a query which she ignored, while her colleagues responded within the stipulated period.
She described the assault allegation as an attempt to cover up shortcomings and seek public sympathy, insisting that no form of assault was recorded against Odusola by her or any other officer.
Fagoyinbo also noted that over 23 senior nurses were present at the meeting where the alleged assault took place, and called for a thorough investigation to clear her name and that of the hospital.
She urged the public to disregard what she termed a deliberate attempt at blackmail and allow internal mechanisms to run their course.
However, the controversy has since taken a legal turn, following an open petition by the Elegant Nurses Forum, ENF, to the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, demanding the arrest and prosecution of Fagoyinbo for alleged assault and attempted murder.
The group claimed that Odusola was violently pushed, lost consciousness and bled from the mouth, nose and ears, and later suffered further threats while on sick leave.
The petition cited relevant sections of the Criminal Code on assault, grievous harm and attempted murder, and called for a thorough police investigation and protection for the victim and witnesses.
Reacting to the petition, another to officer at the FMC Abeokuta dismissed the allegations as fabricated, saying, “They are just trying to cook lies here. Something like that did not happen in the centre; they just want to scatter the place.”
He also questioned the legitimacy of the Elegant Nurses Forum, asking whether it was a recognised union or association in Nigeria.
Hospital management has confirmed that the matter is under investigation, as the FMC Abeokuta crisis continues to generate tension within the nursing community and the wider public.
