The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) has condemned the killing of a consultant psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Dr Andrew Orovwigho, and demanded justice and compensation for his family.

In a statement signed on Monday by the APN President, Dr Veronica Oluyemisi Nyamali, and the Secretary General, Prof Kingsley Mayowa Okonoda, the association said it began 2026 with the devastating news of Orovwigho’s murder.

According to the statement, he was kidnapped from his residence on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, and found the following day, December 31, 2025, where he had been dumped. He was taken to hospital the same day but died on January 2, 2026.

“We are left asking who could perpetrate such a heinous act,” the association said.

APN described the late consultant as a brilliant and passionate psychiatrist committed to patient care, teaching, mentorship and professional excellence, noting that his death was both a personal and professional loss.

Providing details, the association said Orovwigho had visited a family friend within the Enugu metropolis, about 30 minutes from his home, when he received a call asking him to return to attend to what appeared to be a private patient.

“In his usual manner of prioritising patients’ care, he excused himself, promising to return shortly,” it said.

The association alleged that on arriving at his residence, he was accosted by three armed men in a tricycle.

“He was shot in the left knee, further assaulted, taken away in his vehicle and dumped at a sand excavation site outside Enugu town,” the statement added.

APN said reports indicated that he sustained additional injuries, including gunshot wounds, and that the attackers allegedly contacted someone in the household he had visited earlier, claiming they had been paid to kill him.

“In a tragic turn of events, he remained alive until the early hours of the morning when a sand loader discovered him and alerted nearby security personnel,” it stated.

He was rushed to hospital on December 31, 2025, conscious and able to speak, where he received emergency treatment and resuscitation before he later died on January 2, 2026.

Reacting to the incident, the association said the profession was under threat, stressing that “we are barely 150 psychiatrists serving a population of over 200 million Nigerians.”

It warned that the mental health workforce was already critically understaffed, with many doctors leaving due to insecurity and poor working conditions.

“Why should any of us be killed in such a barbaric manner?” it asked.

Describing the act as reprehensible, APN said it was not only a violation of justice but also “a direct assault on the medical profession and the Nigerian healthcare system”.

“Psychiatrists in Nigeria cannot and will not tolerate the murder of our members. This crime must not be met with silence or indifference,” it added.

The association called on the authorities in Enugu State to ensure that those responsible are identified, arrested and prosecuted without delay.

It also demanded adequate compensation and support for the bereaved family and urged an immediate strengthening of Nigeria’s security architecture to protect healthcare professionals and citizens.