THE Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has begun a seven-day warning strike over the December 2023 abduction of their colleague, Ganiyat Popoola, who has since remained with her captors.
According to Punch, the NARD President, Dele Abdullahi, on Sunday, August 25, said the decision was made during the group’s emergency national executive council meeting.
According to him, the strike, which begins at midnight on Monday, August 26, will ensure that NARD members suspend all services in hospitals, including emergency care.
He said, “The strike is commencing by midnight today. It’s for seven days, it’s a warning strike, and it’s total.
“During the strike, there will be no concessions, and there will be no emergency care.”
This latest development came after NARD protested in all tertiary hospitals to demand Popoola’s release.
The ICIR reports that NARD members, Osun State University Teaching Hospital chapter, staged a peaceful protest to demand Popoola’s unconditional release.
The doctors who trooped out in their numbers on Friday, August 16, said if their demand for the release of their colleague was not met, they would have no option but to down tools.
Popoola was abducted with her husband and nephew, Folaranmi Abdul-Mugniy, a student at the Airforce Technology Institute. However, her husband was released after paying a ransom.
Since the incident, according to NARD, the abductors have called severally and occasionally allowed some family members to speak to them.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M