On Monday, members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) in Sagamu staged a peaceful protest, urging the immediate release of their colleague, Dr. Ganiyat Popoola, who was kidnapped in Kaduna State in late December 2023.
The protesting doctors also called for the release of 20 medical students from the Universities of Jos and Maiduguri, who were abducted on August 15 along the Otukpa-Otukpo-Enugu Road in Benue State.
Led by ARD President Dr. Olusola Monehin, the doctors marched around the hospital premises, demanding the safe return of Dr. Popoola and her seven-year-old nephew, who have been held captive for more than seven months.
Dr. Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre in Kaduna, was kidnapped alongside her husband and nephew. Although her husband was released in March, Dr. Popoola and her nephew remain in captivity.
During the protest, the doctors carried banners and placards with messages such as “FG Must Help Bring Back Dr. Ganiyat Popoola,” “We Demand the Release of Dr. Popoola Now,” and “Security Agencies Should Help Free Dr. Popoola.”
Dr. Monehin expressed the doctors’ frustration, stating, “The Federal Government must use all available resources to secure the release of Dr. Ganiyat Popoola. She is a mother of five, and when she was abducted, her youngest child was just six months old. Despite her dedication to delivering quality healthcare, she and her nephew have yet to be freed, over seven months after the incident.”
Addressing the ongoing doctors’ strike in Ogun State over salary disparities, Dr. Monehin urged influential state residents to encourage Governor Dapo Abiodun to meet their demands. He explained that while the strike is regrettable, it is necessary to ensure quality healthcare delivery in the state. “We are asking for an upward review of our CONMESS salary structure, a matter we have been discussing since last year. States like Lagos have implemented it, and we believe our earnings should match those of doctors in federal institutions,” he said.
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