Air force officer denies beating Osun female doctor

An Air Force officer, Dr. Chukwuemeka Okpara, accused of assaulting a female medical doctor, Dr. Theresa Ugalahi, of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, has denied the allegation.

Okpara said this in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Thursday, adding that the allegation was a fabrication and an attempt to tarnish his image.

He accused the female doctor of hitting him with a pedal lock even when he did nothing to provoke her.

Okpara, a Wing Commander with the Nigerian Air Force, who is undergoing his residency programme at the OAUTHC where Ugalahi is a Senior Registrar 1, said he had been living in the same building with other tenants without any problem until the day of the incident.

He said, “It is true that we live in the same house. She blocked my car on that day and I asked her to come and remove her car so I could leave but she did not.

“I spent about 25 minutes waiting for her but she did not apologise when she came out. She entered her car but refused to move. I was urging her to move so I could go but she grabbed my shirt and started manhandling me. I tried to break away from her.

“I did not beat her; I did not slap her; she was the one that manhandled me. Those present had to collect the pedal lock from her. She did not suffer any fracture nor have any cerebrospinal fluid coming out of her brain. All these were fabricated to tarnish my image.”

Okpara added that the female doctor reported the case at a police station, but he said he apologised to her just to allow peace to reign.

Meanwhile, the management of the OAUTH has set up a committee to probe the alleged assault.

The President of the Association of Resident Doctors in the hospital, Dr. Wole Ayegbusi, said this in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Thursday.

He said, “The hospital has set up a committee to look into what happened. It is when its report is out that we will take action on the matter.”

Ayegbusi said the association would ensure that justice was done in the case, adding that whoever was found guilty must be punished according to the provisions of the law irrespective of status.

The Chief Medical Director of the OAUTH, Prof. Victor Adetiloye, when contacted on Thursday, told our correspondent that he could not speak because he was holding a meeting.