Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Doctors in Delta State, under the aegis of National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), yesterday, declared indefinite strike in protest against the kidnap of their colleague, Wilson Iboyitete.
The doctors are worried that Iboyitete has remained in the den of kidnappers since the wee hours of Monday when he was whisked away at the General Hospital in Ojobo, Burutu Local Government Area of the state.
NAGGMDP Chairman, Olayinka Ebikagboro, told journalists in Asaba that the strike will not be called off until Iboyitete is unconditionally released unharmed.
NAGGMDP is an affiliate union of the Nigerian Medical Association.
Ebikagboro decried that the tempo to secure the release of the victim has been too slow, and called on the security agencies to increase the tempo.
She said in the past four years, about five medical doctors in Delta State have been kidnapped and made to go through torture while being held in unlawful custody, albeit forcefully.
“We salute the commitment and zeal of our members who offer essential medical services to Deltans at the grassroots despite the perpetual fear of kidnappers, armed robbers and other hoodlums in the host communities where they work.
“No doctor can give his best in an environment where his life is not only unsecured but perpetually threatened,” she said.