The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has launched a seven-day warning strike starting Monday in response to the continued abduction of their colleague, Ganiyat Popoola, who has been held captive for eight months.
Kogi State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Abubakar Hassan, attributed the increasing departure of doctors from Nigeria to the rampant insecurity in the country.
In an interview in Lokoja, Hassan stated that medical professionals have become prime targets for criminal elements despite their essential service to society.
Hassan lamented that the frequent kidnappings of doctors have severely impacted health services both in Kogi State and nationwide.
He highlighted that many cases of doctors held captive remain unreported, noting that in one North Central State, at least two doctors are currently in captivity—one for over a year and another more recently.
“Insecurity is a significant factor driving doctors to leave Nigeria for other countries,” Hassan said.
He criticized the federal government for failing to ensure security, calling it a major barrier to medical practice in the country. “Down tooling was our last resort to press our demands,” he added.
Jimoh Umar, President of the Association of Resident Doctors at Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja, reported full compliance with the strike in Kogi State.
He expressed concern over the worsening security situation for doctors and urged the government to address their demands urgently.
The strike follows the abduction of Ganiyat Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, who was kidnapped in December 2023 along with her husband and nephew.
