Members of the Nigerian Medical Association took to the streets of Calabar on Friday to protest against the kidnap of their colleague’s wife during which they called on the President, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to declare a state of emergency on security over the increasing rate of kidnapping in Cross River State.
Chairman of the NMA in Cross River State, Dr Agam Ayuk, made the call on behalf of the doctors during the peaceful protest to demand the release of their colleague’s wife and staff member of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Mrs Christiana Ekanem, kidnapped on March 10, 2020 in her home in Satellite, Calabar.
During the 14-kilometre street protest, members of the association carried placards with the inscriptions such as ‘Make Cross River safe again’, ‘End kidnapping in Calabar’, ‘NMA in Cross River demands unconditional and safe release of our doctor’s wife’, among others.
Ayuk said, “We are calling on President Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police as a matter of urgency to declare a state of emergency on security in Cross River.
“We also call on the Federal Government to mobilise the needed manpower and resources to help in curbing the rate of insecurity in the state.
“Security forces have the capacity but they cannot work with their hands. It is an open secret that they do not have all they need to do the work they are supposed to do.
“We call on Buhari, who is the Commander-in-Chief to mobilise the resources at the centre and also help the state.”
Ayuk also said that members of the association in the state had withdrawn all medical services since Thursday until the wife of their colleague is released unconditionally.
He said, “This 14-kilometre walk is to seek support and also ask the government to do more in protecting lives and property in the state.
“We are not safe anymore; we believe that the government can do more in using the necessary machinery to ensure that we have a safer Cross River.
“Cross River as a state used to be a place where people come to live and be at rest; we want it to go back to where it was.
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“We all know that doctors are emigrating from the country, those of us left behind to serve the public cannot wait and be kidnapped one after the other to pay ransom.
“We are out here to tell the public that enough is enough. We call on non-government organisations and civil society groups to join in the struggle for a safer Cross River.” recovered from the suspect.
He said the matter was being investigated after which the suspects would be charged.
Similarly, the police in the state have arrested three fake soldiers. According to the PPRO, the suspects, David Otto and Joseph Donga, were caught in army uniforms.
The police spokesperson added, “In a related development, operatives attached to the 3-3
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