Restriction Enforcement: Policeman arrested, demoted in rank
Daniel Edet, a surgeon at University of Uyo Teaching Hospital was on Friday assaulted by a police sergeant, Edidiong Alexander, while he was on his way to work in Akwa Ibom.
It would be recalled that health workers are exempted from the restriction order in the country as they continue to be the on the front line in waging war against the novel coronavirus.
Both men were said to have had altercation as the police sergeant, who was on duty to enforce the stay-at-home order of the Akwa Ibom state government, assaulted the surgeon.
This prompted the Nigerian Medical Association in the state to threaten to embark on a strike, stating that the surgeon’s hand was fractured by the officer during the altercation.
The police spokesperson, Nnudam Fredrick, released a statement on Saturday that the police in the state swiftly arrested the erring police sergeant and he was made to face an administrative trial.
He was subsequently found guilty and was demoted from the post of a sergeant to corporal.
The commissioner of police later met with Mr Daniel Edet and the chairman of NMA in the state to apologise for the assault suffered by the surgeon. He thereby pleaded to the doctors to keep waging war against the novel coronavirus in order to keep people safe.
