Mysterious bullet hits patient awaiting surgery in Abakaliki

“As Chigozie Ebede was about going under the surgeon’s knife, a bullet pierced the roof and hit him in the leg.” 

A mysterious bullet, on Wednesday, pierced through the roof of one of the Federal Medical Centre Abakaliki’s surgical theatres and wounded a patient awaiting surgery.

The victim, Chigozie Ebede, had only undergone one of the three series of operations when the incident occurred, which led to the cancellation of the other ones.

His situation was made worse as the leg, which the bullet hit was paralysed as a result of an illness during his younger days.

Ebede said he was about undergoing the operation inside the theatre when the cry of a child attracted the attention of the doctor, who left immediately to attend to her.

“Immediately the doctor left, a tool pierced through the roof of the theatre and hit my deformed leg which made me cry loud in pains,” he said. “My cry attracted the doctor who quickly tried to stop bleeding from the wound, as he confirmed that I had been hit by a bullet.”

Ebede, who said he is a trader, added that he lost consciousness at that point and only regained it hours later on his bed inside one of the wards. “I don’t know the source of the bullet but I am sure I have not offended anyone in the course of my business transactions,” he said.

Oji Uzodinma, the hospital’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident, saying it was being adequately handled by the authorities. “It was a stray bullet that pierced through the theatre’s roof from outside the hospital, but was neither targeted at the patient nor the doctor,” he said.

When contacted, officials at the state office of the State Security Service (SSS) confirmed that the bullet was from an AK-47 gun and the service was currently handling the matter.

-Adaego Ogbulafor 

Source: DailyTimes