By Boluwatife Adedokun
When 23-year-old Ogunjobi Oluwaseyi Samuel stepped into the consulting room at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, on June 30, 2025, he had no idea his life would be upended within minutes.
A registered nurse and Post-Basic student, Ogunjobi said he was only trying to correct a simple error involving two damaged plastic chairs, a decision that led not just to an alleged physical assault by a senior medical consultant, but also to a suspension that has left his future hanging in the balance.
In an exclusive interview with The Harbinger, Ogunjobi recounted how a routine ward round spiraled into a nightmare.
According to him, he noticed that two broken chairs had mistakenly been brought to the consulting room. Wanting to correct the mistake, he decided to take them back. But before he could do so, he said, Dr. Majekodunmi, a consultant psychiatrist, intercepted him and launched into a barrage of insults.
“I didn’t say anything to provoke him. I was only trying to correct a mistake,” Ogunjobi told The Harbinger.
“But he shouted at me, called me names like ‘bastard’ and ‘stupid boy,’ then physically assaulted me. He used a chair to push me out of the consulting room.”
Ogunjobi said his repeated efforts to explain were ignored, and instead of addressing the incident, hospital authorities turned their attention on him.
“I was the one assaulted, yet I’m the one suspended,” he said, visibly distraught. “It’s unfair. I was cheated.”
In a formal complaint letter addressed to the Provost/Medical Director of the hospital, Ogunjobi detailed how the confrontation unfolded and demanded accountability for the consultant’s actions.
The letter stated that after asking if Ogunjobi was “okay,” Dr. Majekodunmi allegedly seized the chairs, hurled verbal abuse at him, and physically pushed him out of the room in front of other staff and students.
But rather than open an inquiry into the consultant’s conduct, Ogunjobi said he received a suspension letter on July 17, 2025, from the School of Psychiatric Nursing.
The letter ordered him to vacate the hospital premises and hostel immediately, citing an ongoing investigation — but made no mention of any disciplinary steps against the doctor involved.
The decision triggered an uproar among fellow students, who staged a peaceful protest within the hospital premises demanding justice for Ogunjobi and calling for a thorough and impartial investigation.
Placards carried during the protest bore strong messages:
“Say NO to assault on nurses”
“Justice for Ogunjobi”
“Dr. Majek Must Go”
“Protect students, don’t silence them”
The outrage wasn’t limited to the hospital grounds. Online, nursing students and advocates raised their voices, sharing concerns about a growing culture of intimidation within the institution.
One message circulating among students read: “A student has a hospital final exam in two weeks and all students , both regular and orientation , were chased out of the wards.”
Some students accused the management of enabling a toxic environment, especially for trainees, by failing to hold senior staff accountable.
“This isn’t just about me,” Ogunjobi said. “It’s about every nurse, every student who feels voiceless in places where we should be protected and guided. Especially in a mental health institution, we deserve dignity. There should be justice.”
The incident has since attracted attention from human rights advocates, nursing associations, and the public, many of whom are calling for systemic reforms in how healthcare trainees are treated in federal institutions.
Now suspended, and with final exams reportedly just weeks away, the young nurse finds himself fighting not just for his education, but for justice.
“All I want is to be heard,” he said. “Let the truth come out. Let there be accountability.”
Nurses Union Demands Immediate Reversal of Suspension, Issues 24-Hour Ultimatum
In response to the growing outcry over the suspension of Ogunjobi Oluwaseyi Samuel, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Health Institution Sector, Aro Branch, has issued a firm condemnation of the hospital’s actions, describing the suspension as “unjust and baseless.”
In a resolution reached during an emergency congress held on Friday, July 18, 2025, the union demanded that the student nurse be reinstated immediately and allowed to resume both academic and clinical duties without delay. The union further insisted that the consultant involved in the alleged assault, Dr. E.O. Majekodunmi, tender a formal apology to the affected student.
The resolution also addressed broader concerns, including what it called the arbitrary removal of student nurses from their clinical postings by SERVICOM officials. NANNM demanded the immediate readmission of those students to their assigned areas.
In a strongly worded section of the document, the union called for Dr. Majekodunmi to be “strongly warned and closely monitored” over what it described as repeated reports of assault, bullying, and verbal abuse, particularly toward nurses.
Citing rising tension within the institution, the union gave management a 24-hour ultimatum to implement its resolutions. It warned that failure to act swiftly could jeopardize industrial peace within the hospital.
The resolution was signed by Unit Secretary Comrade Olayomi Sulaimon and copied to key union officers. It represents the most official and forceful reaction yet from staff within the institution since the incident came to light.
