The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has launched a 7-day warning strike across all its centres nationwide to demand the release of their kidnapped colleague, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola. The strike began at 12 a.m. on Monday, August 26, 2024.
NARD President, Dr. Dele Abdullahi, announced the strike in a statement, explaining that the decision was reached during an Emergency National Executive Council meeting held virtually on Sunday, August 25, 2024.
“This warning strike will last one week and will be total, with no provision for emergency care,” Abdullahi stated.
Dr. Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre in Kaduna, was abducted nearly eight months ago along with her husband and nephew. While her husband was released in March, Dr. Popoola and her nephew remain in captivity.
In recent weeks, NARD members held protests at tertiary hospitals across the country, calling for the immediate release of Dr. Popoola.
The strike represents a significant escalation in the doctors’ efforts to secure the release of their colleague, underscoring the ongoing challenges of insecurity faced by medical professionals in Nigeria.