The Kaduna State chapter of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), on Thursday, staged a peaceful protest to demand the unconditional release of their colleague, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola who was abducted on December 27th, 2023 at her residence in Kaduna.
Dr. Popoola was kidnapped alongside her husband and nephew, but her husband was released after spending weeks in captivity, leaving his breastfeeding wife in captivity for over eight months.
Addressing journalists at the end of the peaceful protest which took place within the premises of the National Eye Centre Kaduna, President of ARD in Kaduna State, Dr. Muhammad Okpanaki said, if their request for prompt intervention and release of their colleague was not adhered to, the resident doctors may have no option but to down tools to press home their demands.
The doctors who turned out in their large numbers, carried placards with various inscription such as: ‘All we are saying, bring back Ganiyat,’ ‘We want NSA, Governor Uba Sani to intervene in the release of our colleague,” among others.
The ARD President who lamented that the safety of doctors in Nigeria is under threat, also blamed insecurity for the brain drain and migration of Nigerians and other professionals in the ‘Japa’ syndrome.
Also speaking, the Secretary Kaduna chapter of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) Dr. Patricia Ella Idoko lamented the porous perimeter fence within the Eye Centre that needed reinforcement at both the entry and exit points, while corroborating the call for her release.
She lamented how a breastfeeding mother was separated from her baby for months, adding that information suggested that the health of the abducted doctor is deteriorating.
Idoko said it has become imperative more than ever before for relevant security and government agencies to intervene in securing Dr. Popoola’s release unharmed.
In the same vein, the Acting Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the National Eye Centre where the victim works, Dr. Aminatu Abdulrahman disclosed that the management has reached out to security agencies on her abduction since it occurred and had done series of follow-up.
Abdulrahman noted that public hospitals are the hope of the masses, and called on government to do whatever is required to protect workers of such hospitals and guarantee their safety at workplaces.
“Issues of her kidnap among many other challenges are among reasons why the ‘Japa’ syndrome has remained in Nigeria.
“We are reiterating our earlier call and appeal to the federal government and security agencies to intensify efforts on securing her release,” she reechoed.
