Enugu Neuropsychiatric Hospital Crisis: Acting CMD Faces Jail for Alleged Contempt

The ongoing crisis at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, has taken a new twist as tensions mount over the appointment of a substantive Medical Director months after a Federal Government interview process was completed.

In the latest development, a staff member from the hospital’s School of Nursing, Mr. A.C. Ndu, is moving to initiate contempt proceedings against the acting Medical Director, Dr. Ngozi Unogu, for allegedly defying a court order.

Ndu had previously won a defamation suit against hospital officials. His counsel, Chijioke Ezeh, explained that in 2020, Justice E.M. Egumbge of the High Court of Enugu State ruled in favor of Ndu, awarding him N2.5 million in damages and issuing a permanent injunction preventing the hospital’s officials from questioning his qualifications.

Ezeh claimed that despite the court’s ruling, Dr. Unogu presided over a committee that continued to investigate Ndu’s qualifications, an act he described as contemptuous and a witch-hunt against his client.

“We returned to court seeking redress because Dr. Unogu has made herself both a judge and a participant in the matter, in clear defiance of the court’s injunction,” Ezeh added.

On the other side, Boniface Ugwu, counsel for the defendants, maintained that the case is still pending, stating that an appeal was filed after the 2020 judgment, along with a motion for a stay of execution.

Meanwhile, Onyebuchi Igboke, from the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria, has called on the government to intervene. He criticized the hospital’s management and the Ministry of Health for allegedly allowing misconduct and urged the enforcement of court rulings. Igboke also noted that despite interviews for a new CMD being concluded, the ministry has delayed confirming the successful candidate, which he suggested may indicate complicity.

He further claimed that no staff auditing has been conducted at the hospital, violating civil service rules.