SUNTV Global Channel — Abuja
There was high tension in Nigeria’s capital on Friday after officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service backed down following hours of standoff at Wuse General Hospital, allowing detained businesswoman Tracyniter Nicholas Ohiri to receive urgent medical care.
Ohiri, who was reportedly arrested on the alleged directive of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, had demanded payment for the supply of gift items before her arrest.
Sources told SUNTV Global Channel that the situation escalated when armed correctional officers stormed the hospital in multiple vehicles shortly after she was granted bail by a Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja.
The businesswoman had earlier been rushed to the hospital under emergency conditions after reportedly collapsing during attempts to rearrest her.
Hospital staff were said to be stabilising her when heavily armed officers from Suleja, Kuje, and Keffi custodial centres moved into the facility in what witnesses described as an attempt to enforce a fresh arrest.
Controversy soon followed as activists and supporters questioned the authenticity of the warrants presented by the officers, alleging they were issued after the court had already granted her bail.
The situation drew swift intervention from prominent figures, including human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, social media influencer VeryDarkMan, and lawmaker Ireti Kingibe, who insisted that the businesswoman must first receive proper medical attention.
As tensions mounted, crowds gathered within and outside the hospital premises, chanting and demanding that correctional officers withdraw.
Following sustained public pressure and growing scrutiny over the legality of their actions, the officers eventually retreated after obtaining an official medical report from hospital authorities.
At the time of filing this report, Ohiri remained under medical observation, while calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her arrest and attempted rearrest continue to intensify.
