Resident doctors begin strike over 8-month stay of colleague in kidnappers’ den

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has embarked on a seven-day warning strike over the prolonged abduction of their colleague, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola.

Popoola, a medical practitioner at the National Eye Care Kaduna, was kidnapped along with her husband and nephew when bandits raided the staff quarters of the hospital on December 27, 2023.

While her husband was released in March, Popoola and her nephew remain in captivity at the time of filing this report.

The association had earlier stated it would embark on an indefinite strike from August 12 over the non-release of Dr. Popoola-Olawale by the kidnappers.

NARD President, Dr. Dele Abdullahi, today announced that the decision to hold a warning strike was made during an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council, with the strike set to begin at 12 a.m. on Monday, August 26, 2024.

“The aim of the strike is not to punish anyone but a way of expressing our outcry.

“The association has been protesting for the last two weeks to get a desired response. The security agencies are not pulling their weight; we strongly feel much more can be done. Hence, we are starting with this warning strike to press home our demand.

“Hopefully, by Sunday next week, we will be resuming based on the activities of the security agencies, whether to call it off or to proceed with an indefinite strike.

“Our demand is simple and straightforward: the unconditional and immediate release of Dr. Popoola Ganiyat, and we urge the government to hasten this process,” he told The Guardian.

President of the Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Medical Centre Ebute-Metta, Lagos, Dr. Onyinye Lazson, confirmed to The Guardian that resident doctors would not be at the hospital.

She said: “As an association, we held an emergency national executive officers meeting last night, and the decision about the strike was the outcome of the meeting.

“We have other cadres of doctors that will be running the hospitals.”