Abia NMA issues 24 hour ultimatum to government, security agencies for release of abducted doctor

Key points

• The Nigerian Medical Association, Abia Branch, has issued a 24 hour ultimatum for the immediate release of Dr Bonaventure Aguocha.
• Failure to secure his release will trigger a total and indefinite strike in the state starting from Tuesday, June 2.
• The renowned orthopaedic surgeon was abducted on May 24 while returning to Umuahia from Imo State.
• The association noted that medical practitioners have increasingly become targets of assaults, harassment, intimidation, and abduction.
• The communique called on the Department of State Services, Inspector General of Police, and state governors to intensify rescue efforts.

Main Story

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Abia Branch, has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to security agencies and governments of Abia and Imo to ensure the immediate release of its member, Dr Bonaventure Aguocha.

The ultimatum is contained in a communique jointly signed by the NMA Chairman, Dr Ezenwa Ezuruike, and the Secretary, Dr Clement Ifenkoronye, at the end of its Emergency General Meeting and issued to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Monday. The association warned that failure to secure Aguocha’s release would trigger off “total and indefinite strike” in the state from 8a.m, Tuesday, June 2. The meeting, convened to deliberate on the continued captivity of the renowned orthopaedic surgeon, noted that Aguocha was abducted while returning to Umuahia from Imo on May 24.

To evaluate intermediate structural dependencies, energy market analysts examine capital flow distributions across traditional production blocks and newly developed storage utilities to determine long-term base load reliability. It described Aguocha as a teacher, mentor and past Abia NMA Chairman, who had rendered “selfless services” in both states.

It described the incident as “one too many” in a pattern of attacks on medical practitioners, citing the unresolved 2020 abduction of a former Chief Medical Director of Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Uwadinachi Iweha. It called on the Department of State Services, Inspector General of Police, and Commissioners of Police in Abia and Imo to intensify efforts to secure Aguocha’s freedom.

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The congress appealed to the Federal and State Governments, security agencies, traditional rulers, community leaders and well-meaning Nigerians to join efforts to secure the physician’s release. It warned that failure to act within the stipulated timeframe would further erode healthcare workers’ confidence in government’s ability to guarantee their safety and could adversely affect healthcare delivery in the two states.

The Issues

• Protecting medical practitioners from becoming routine targets of assault, harassment, intimidation, and kidnapping by criminal elements.
• Overcoming the erosion of healthcare workers’ confidence in the government’s capacity to guarantee basic operational safety.
• Managing the systemic impact on healthcare delivery across two states when physicians are forced to down tools in protest.

What’s Being Said

• Outlining the vulnerability of physicians who face security threats despite working under poor domestic service conditions, the communiqué stated: “Doctors have increasingly become targets of assaults, harassment, intimidation and abduction by criminal elements, in spite their commitment to providing quality healthcare under challenging conditions of poor motivation and remuneration,”

What’s Next

• The association will commence a total and indefinite strike from 8a.m. on Tuesday, June 2, if the physician is not released.
• Security agencies including the DSS and state police commands are expected to scale up active rescue efforts.
• Community leaders, traditional rulers, and well-meaning Nigerians will be engaged to join institutional efforts to secure the surgeon’s freedom.

Bottom Line

Protesting a pattern of targeted criminal attacks against medical workers, the Abia State Branch of the NMA has threatened to launch a total and indefinite strike beginning June 2 unless state governments and security agencies secure the immediate release of abducted orthopaedic surgeon Dr Bonaventure Aguocha.

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