Emenike Accuses Police, Imo Waste Agency Officials of Invading Hospital, Assaulting Staff, Patients

Former Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike, has accused police officers and individuals allegedly linked to an Imo State waste-management agency of invading his hospital in the state, assaulting staff and patients, and taking away the hospital administrator and cashier.

Emenike made the allegations in posts on his verified Instagram handle on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, while calling on Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, the Nigeria Police Force and the Imo State Police Command to investigate the incident.

According to the former international, the alleged invasion involved individuals said to be from a state waste-management agency, as well as armed police officers from Oji Police Station.

He alleged that the incident followed an earlier invasion by police officers, purportedly on the orders of the Divisional Police Officer of Owerri Urban Division, on September 25, 2026.

Emenike shared videos purportedly showing armed men in uniform arresting some members of the hospital staff.

Describing the incident as disturbing, he said a hospital should be a place of care and safety rather than violence.

“Emenike Hospital has reported that individuals said to be from an Imo State waste-management agency, after an earlier invasion of the officers of the police force on the order of the DPO Owerri, Urban Division on 25th September, 2026, entered its premises, assaulted staff and patients, and took away the hospital administrator and cashier,” he wrote.

“The hospital also alleges that armed police officers from Oji Police Station were involved. These claims require an urgent, impartial investigation.”

He urged the state government, police authorities and relevant oversight bodies to establish what happened and identify those involved.

He also called for the release of the hospital administrator and cashier, whom he alleged had been wrongly detained after being assaulted at Oji Police Station.

The former footballer further demanded that anyone injured receive medical attention, witnesses be allowed to report the incident safely, and available closed-circuit television footage, incident records and other evidence be preserved and reviewed.

He called for appropriate action against any official or agency found to have acted unlawfully.

“No enforcement operation should endanger patients, disrupt emergency care or use violence against hospital staff. Public institutions must act within the law, and allegations of abuse must be investigated transparently,” he said.

Reflecting on his investment in his home state, Emenike said he established the hospital to provide residents with a place to seek medical care, find comfort and hold on to hope.

He noted that after representing Nigeria internationally, playing in Europe and winning the Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles, he chose to invest in his community in Imo State.

“I invested in my community and built a hospital—a place where people could seek care, find comfort and hold on to hope. It was a gesture of faith in my people and a commitment to helping my home state thrive,” he said.

Emenike described the reported incident of October 21 as painful, insisting that a facility established to care for people should not become a place where patients feel afraid and staff members feel unsafe.

He called for protection and support for the hospital community, adding that Imo residents deserved safety and healthcare facilities should remain places of care and hope.

The allegations had not been independently verified as of the time of filing this report. No response from the Imo State Government, the police or the alleged waste-management agency was included in Emenike’s statement.