Nigerian doctors protest colleague’s kidnapping, demand immediate release
Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Saturday, staged a nationwide rally to press for the immediate release of their colleague, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, who was kidnapped in Kaduna State on 27th December 2023.
The resident doctors have threatened to commence an industrial strike if their colleague was not freed as soon as possible.
Dr Popoola, a nursing mother was kidnapped alongside her husband and her nephew from their official quarters at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, late last year.
In a show of unity and concern, medical professionals at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Asaba, Delta State, held a procession within the hospital premises, chanting slogans and pressing the government to secure the prompt release of their kidnapped colleague.
According to Dr. Asore, National Assistant Secretary of NARD who is also the immediate past President of FMC Asaba Chapter, the national organization has taken all necessary steps to facilitate the release of their abducted colleague, but so far, their efforts have been unsuccessful.
“We have done everything possible to get Dr Ganiyat Popoola released. It has been promises upon promises by security agencies.
“We intended doing a nationwide protest but for the fragility of the country at the moment coming from the End Bad Governance protest, we decided to shelve it by asking our members at individual states to restrict the protest within their hospital premises,” he said.
Dr. Kenneth Okolie, President of the FMC Asaba Chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors, expressed outrage over the government’s lackadaisical attitude towards the security and well-being of medical personnel, emphasizing that healthcare workers’ safety remains a low priority for those in power.
Sources revealed that the husband, whose health was precarious, was freed on March 7, 2024, following extensive negotiations and the payment of over N60 million in ransom, plus food supplies.
In contrast, the wife and nephew continue to be held captive by the bandits. Reports have speculated that the doctor’s medical skills may have proven valuable to the kidnappers, possibly leading them to retain her as a means of providing medical treatment to themselves and their captives.
