Edo Specialist Hospital in Benin took a chaotic turn when members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and Department of State Services clashed over the alleged unprofessional treatment of a collapsed DSS agent on Monday. 

According to The PUNCH, the incident reportedly began when DSS officers rushed their unconscious colleague to the hospital, seeking immediate medical attention. However, the medical staff’s response, described as “unprofessional” by the DSS, sparked outrage.

According to the DSS, their pleas for assistance were met with indifference, forcing them to carry the agent themselves. 

This disregard, they claim, escalated tensions, leading to a physical altercation with NSCDC personnel and private security guards.

“We were in a meeting when the person we brought to the hospital slumped, and he was rushed to our health facility to check his pulse. We then rushed him to the Edo Specialist Hospital, which is the closest to our office, but the reception we got there was poor.

“It was our people that had to bring our colleague down from the vehicle. When you go to the hospital, courtesy demands that you bring the patient down and attend to him or her; at least show commitment, but right in the car, they said they cannot carry him and we have to carry him down ourselves,” the DSS said.

The hospital’s Medical Director, Dr. David Odiko, however, presented a contrasting narrative. He claims the attending physician promptly examined the patient upon arrival, despite the DSS’s alleged refusal to acknowledge his death.

“The doctor confirmed the patient was already deceased,” Dr. Odiko stated. “He even performed CPR, but there was no response. Unfortunately, the DSS personnel rejected this diagnosis and caused a scene, even injuring a female NSCDC officer.”