Nurses, midwives threaten withdrawal over attacks in Katsina

• HURIWA laments rising insecurity in FCT
• LCBGF pledges commitment to tackling insecurity in Lake Chad region

Nurses and midwives in Katsina State have threatened to withdraw services from hospitals located in insecure council areas over incessant killings and abduction of their members.

At a press conference, yesterday, the health workers, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), gave state government till midnight of tomorrow, January 30, to meet specific demands or risk service withdrawal from the areas.

In his remarks, the state Chairman, NANNM, Nura Mu’azu, identified the insecurity-prone council areas as Batsari, Danmusa, Kankara, Jibia, Dutsinma, Musawa, Malumfashi, Funtua, and Batagrawa.

Mu’azu said some members of the body had either lost their lives, been maimed for life, or were abducted for ransom at hospitals in the frontline council areas.

The association’s chairman said though the state government was making headway in tackling insecurity, much more needed to be done, especially in protecting hospitals and healthcare workers from falling victim to attacks by hoodlums.

MEANWHILE, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed grave concern over perceived escalating insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following the abduction of a family and others by suspected bandits in Kubwa.

The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, had been condemned by HURIWA in the strongest terms, with the group describing it as evidence of a growing security vacuum in the nation’s capital.

The group’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, called on FCT residents to petition President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to prioritise the safety and well-being of the territory’s inhabitants.

Onwubiko stated that from eyewitnesses account, over 30 gunmen, armed with AK-47 rifles, invaded the residence of Mr Adefija Michael Akinropo, abducting him, his wife, son, and elder brother.

He said the attackers also targeted a nearby poultry farm, kidnapping one man and injuring his wife in the process.

He alleged that despite the gravity of the situation, the FCT Police Command was yet to issue an official statement, criticising what he described as “the apparent lack of urgency and effective strategy in addressing the escalating insecurity in the FCT”.

HOWEVER, the chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum (LCBGF), Baba Mallam Wali, has said the forum has stepped up efforts to address insecurity challenges in the region, through innovative solutions that aligns with humanitarian-development nexus.

According to him, the four-member governors’ forum is a platform for fostering regional cooperation, stabilisation, peace building, and sustainable development.

Wali unveiled the peace building measures, yesterday, in Maiduguri, while briefing journalists on the three-day summit, slated tomorrow at the Indimi International Conference Centre.

Wali, who is the Secretary to the Yobe State Government stated: “The forum will bring together governors, policymakers, development partners, and stakeholders, including 1,000 participants to strategise in overcoming the challenges of the four-member countries of Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).