Amid Growing Concerns, Niger says Abducted Medical Doctor’ll Be Rescued

Amid growing concerns over the conditions of the abducted Medical Director, New Bussa General Hospital, Dr Tony Eghagagara, the state Commissioner of Health, Dr Murtala Muhammad Bagana, has assured that the government was doing everything possible to ensure his rescue.

LEADERSHIP reported that the Medical Doctor was abducted in Wawa, a suburb of New Bussa, about 40 days ago; since then, there have been growing concerns about the conditions of the medical Doctor

Last week, doctors in Niger State, under the umbrella of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), threatened to go on strike if their colleague was not immediately rescued.

The Association, in a statement signed by the Secretary of the Niger State branch, Dr Aliyu Mohammed Chapa, called on the Niger State Government to expedite its efforts to secure the release of Dr Eghagagara.

The Commissioner of Health, Dr Bagana, asked about the efforts of the government to ensure that the Medical Officer was rescued, saying, “You know this is a security issue and we cannot come out to say what we are doing”.

“We are doing a lot to ensure that Dr Eghagagara is rescued as soon as possible. We are as concerned as the NMA, considering the services he is rendering to the people,” he added.

He assured that the government would not rest until the abducted Medical Doctor was rescued. He therefore called on the NMA to be patient and understand the complex nature of security issues.