The management of Garki Hospital, Abuja, says it did not insist on getting police report to treat Miss Angela Igwetu, a National Youth Service Corp member shot dead in Abuja on July 4.
In a video presentation to support its claim on Friday in Abuja, Dr Ibrahim Wada, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, said the presentation was to provide facts on the roles of the hospital when they brought Igwetu for urgent medical attention.
Wada explained that Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) was invited by the hospital to investigate the death of Igwetu.
He said that the inspection would correct the wrong impression in online news that the hospital demanded police report before taking the necessary action.
“It is important that the public is well informed about the fact of what happened at the hospital before Igwetu passed on.
“The deceased was brought in a precarious situation and the investigation through the video clip has provided evidence on how doctors made efforts to safe Igwetu’s life.
“We cannot have such a critically wounded person and fold our arms waiting for police report; this was never the case here.
“I am satisfied that the video proved that action was taken immediately by the doctors but her condition was very bad for her to survive.
“The hospital, traditionally will never abandon this kind of case, we have a standing policy of not insisting on police report before attending to traumatised patients at Accident and Emergency Department,’’ Wada said.
In response, Mr Chidi Izuwah, the Acting Director-General, ICRC, said investigation was carried out and the video evidence showed that the hospital made efforts to provide care for the deceased.
Izuwah who led an ICRC management team, stated that the video showed that the hospital provided care for her before she passed on.
“When she arrived in the hospital, the doctors quickly came in, took her to the emergency care room and more doctors came in to attend to her while the police was called upon.
“This fact has completely disputed the narrative that has been set out on the social media and other platforms.
“The law by the National Assembly is now mandatory that when patients with gunshots come to the hospital, you treat them and that’s what we have come here to verify.
“We have completed our investigation, interviewed all parties involved and we will post the report on our disclosure portal as we have a responsibility to be transparent to the public.
Igwetu was allegedly shot by a police officer, Inspector Benjamin Peter, on July 4 in Central Area District, Abuja; and was taken to the hospital for treatment where she died.
A statement by Commissioner of Police in Abuja, Mr Sadiq Bello, stated that necessary disciplinary procedures had been concluded, resulting in the dismissal of Peter.
“He (the suspect) has been dismissed from the force and arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction and he is currently on remand awaiting trial.
“It was alleged that the lady, one Angela Igwetu stood up and brought out her head through the sunroof of a car, shouting and calling for help that she was kidnapped,’’ he said in the statement.
Bello said that the police claimed that they flagged down the vehicle but the driver refused to stop which made the police inspector to shoot and hit the deceased.
The commissioner said that the command would not condone act of irresponsibility and incivility or outright criminality on the part of officers and men of the police.
He appealed to residents of Abuja to keep calm, assuring the family of the deceased that justice would be done.
