Gunmen attacked the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, Kogi State, in the early hours of today July 1, carting away computers, laptops, and phones of staff and patients as well as other sensitive materials from the administrative department of the health institution.

According to reports, the men who were said to be over 10 in number, operated for over 30minutes unhindered.

The management of the hospital had scheduled press briefing where they were to demand a COVID-19 screening center in the state and also enumerate the challenges health workers were facing in the state as regards the COVID-19 pandemic.

The management of the health facility and the state government have been at loggerheads over the status of COVID-19 in the state. The state government insists there is no confirmed case of the viral disease in the state but the management of the hospital appears not to agree with them.

On Tuesday, June 30, the state governor, Yahaya Bello, said Nigerians are being made to accept the reality of COVID-19 “by force”. He said the virus was created to “shorten the lifestyle of the people”, while asking residents not to accept what he described as “cut and paste COVID-19″.

See more photos from the attack below