By Ovie Okpare
Medical practitioners in Delta State have declared a two-day warning strike to protest the kidnap of Dr. Wisdom Iboyitete, a Principal Medical Officer at General Hospital, Ojobo, in Burutu Local Government Area of the state on Monday.
The warning strike took effect this morning, Tuesday June 2, 2020.
Iboyitete was kidnapped by arms-wielding gunmen who pretended to be patients in the wee hours of Monday and reportedly whisked him to unknown location through the creeks in the Ijaw riverine community.
The two-day warning strike was declared on Monday night by the state branch of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) at the end of an emergency meeting of the body.
In a statement obtained by NIGER DELTA TODAY Online on Tuesday, the association directed its members under Ughelli and Bomadi Medical Zones to embark on a warning strike to demand for the immediate release of their abducted colleague.
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The statement signed by the State NAGGMDP’s chairman, Dr. Ebikagboro Olayinka and Secretary, Dr. Ikechukwu Okoh, called for the unconditional release of Dr. Iboyitete.
The association threatened that if by Thursday their abducted colleague is not released by the gunmen, all members of NAGGMDP shall embarked on indefinite strike across the state to press for his release by security agencies in the state.
The statement read, “Dr. Wisdom Iboyitete, a Principal Medical Officer at General Hospital, Ojobo was abducted in the hospital premises by unknown gunmen pretending to be patients on 01/06/2020 at 00:01 WAT.
“The Association had an Emergency Meeting today 01/06/2020 and noted that efforts made in the release of our member from the kidnappers’ den are suboptimal and call on the Delta State Government and security agencies to increase the tempo in locating and rescuing our member unscathed and unharmed.
“Consequently, the Association resolved as follows: All our members under Ughelli and Bomadi Medical Zones are to embark on a warning strike from 08:00 WAT tomorrow Tuesday 02/06/2020.
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“All members of the Association in the State to commence indefinite strike action from 08:00 WAT on Thursday 04/06/2020 until he is released.
“There shall be a peaceful protest walk on Thursday 04/06/2020. This protest walk will commence from the Delta State NMA Secretariat (opposite the Cenotaph, Asaba) to the Government House and then to the Office of the Commissioner of Police in Asaba.
“To hold a Press Conference demanding his unconditional release and also highlighting the plight of doctors who are soft targets of Kidnappers in Delta State.
“We demand the unconditional release of our member Dr. Wisdom Iboyitete.”
