NSCDC officer stabbed to death, denied treatment over police report

A female officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Blessing Akpan, was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants in front of her home in Piawe, Bwari area of Abuja.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday last week. Blessing, who was reportedly attacked during a robbery attempt, sustained severe stab wounds and was rushed to multiple hospitals for treatment.

However, friends of the deceased told Daily Trust on Monday, July 28, that she was denied urgent medical attention because of the absence of a police report. Despite presenting her NSCDC identification card, hospitals allegedly refused to treat her, leading to significant delays.

“She was bleeding heavily, and we pleaded with the hospital staff, but they insisted on a police report before treatment,” a close friend said. “We kept moving from one hospital to another. By the time one agreed to treat her, she had lost too much blood.”

Medical personnel at Bwari General Hospital eventually confirmed her dead on arrival.

Another friend recounted that Blessing was attacked while on her way out. “Some men tried to rob her, and when she resisted, they stabbed her,” she said.

The tragic incident has sparked outrage over the refusal of medical facilities to treat emergency cases without police clearance, a policy critics say continues to cost lives.

Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the incident.