UDUTH doctors join seven-day strike over colleague’s abduction

Members of the National Association of Resident Doctors, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, have joined the one-week warning strike declared by the association.

Confirming their participation, the chairman of the association in the hospital, Dr Uzairu Abdullahi, said in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Monday afternoon.

The association is currently on strike in response to the abduction of their colleague, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, who was kidnapped nearly eight months ago in 2023.

NARD President, Dr Dele Abdullahi, who disclosed this to our correspondent on Sunday, said the strike will begin Monday, August 26, 2024, at 12 am.

Abdullahi said that his members have joined their counterparts across the country to join the strike.

He said, “The warning strike is embarked upon by the association to press home our demands of the immediate rescue of one of our members, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, from bandits.

“She has been in captivity for too long and we believe it’s high time government and security agencies take her case more seriously.

“I can confirm to you that as we observe the strike here now, our colleagues at Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Kware have also joined the warning strike.”

Recalled that the victim, who was a staff of Kaduna Eye Centre, was abducted eight months ago by bandits alongside her husband, who was later released but the doctor is still in captivity.

NARD had last week organised a peaceful protest across the federal hospitals in the country, appealing to government and security agents to rescue Ganiyat without further delay.

Popoola was kidnapped on December 27, 2023, along with her husband and nephew, with two still in captivity.

In July, NARD expressed concern within the medical community, making appeals for their immediate release.

During the protests, the association disclosed that if they failed to rescue their colleague by August 26, its members would embark on a seven-day warning strike to press home their demands.

PUNCH Online earlier reported that they had issued a two-week ultimatum to the government for the unconditional release of its members.