The resident doctors embarked on a nationwide strike after their earlier protest march in all tertiary hospitals failed to secure the release of the colleague from abductors' captivity. The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has commenced a seven-day warning strike over the abduction of their colleague, Ganiyat Popoola, who has been held captive for eight months. The President of NARD, Dele Abdullahi, announced the strike during a virtual emergency meeting of the National Executive Council of the association at midnight on Monday.
"The strike is total, and there will be no concessions or emergency care during this period. All centres, both federal and state, should ensure full compliance, even as proper handover of patients to consultants should be done," Mr Abdullahi said. He noted that any centre that fails to comply with the strike directive would be fined heavily and denied participation in the forthcoming NARD annual general meeting .
Members of the association across the country had earlier staged a protest march in all tertiary hospitals to demand the release of Mrs Popoola. Mrs Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, was abducted in December 2023 alongside her husband and nephew. While her husband has been released after a ransom was reportedly paid, Mrs Popoola and her nephew remain in captivity.
The kidnappers reportedly demanded a N60 million ransom to release the doctor's husband. NARD's directive, n.
