Anambra doctors take to the streets over colleague’s kidnap

BY Vincent Ujumadu

AWKA— MEDICAL doctors in both public and private hospitals in  Anambra State, numbe-ring about 200, Wednesday, took to the streets of Awka and Nnewi to protest the kidnap of their colleague, Dr. Okwudili Udemezue.

Udemezue, who is a lecturer in the Department of Anatomy at the College of Medicine of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi, was kidnapped Sunday midnight while driving home from work.

The kidnappers were yet to make contact with members of his family or colleagues at press time.

Among places visited by the protesting doctors are  the Police headquarters where they were addressed by the Deputy Commissio-ner of Police, Mr. Austin Ebakhuvbokun; Govern-ment House, where they were addressed by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Emeka Sibeudu; and some media houses in Awka.

They carried placards, some of which read: Leave doctors alone; doctors need freedom to do their work, kidnapping is a bad omen, and Anambra is under threat of kidnappers.

Chairman of Nnewi branch of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Dr. Achukwu Nwabueze, said it was unfortunate that doctors had become targets of kidnappers, recalling that one of their members was also kidnapped last year and later released after some days in captivity.

He said: “Our business is to save lives and we do not see any reason we should be threatened.”

Mr. Emeka Sibeudu, who expressed worry that the issue of kidnapping which reduced considerably in the state, had been on the increase since the end of the general elections, added, however, that government had put in place measures to combat the situation.

According to the deputy governor, security reports have shown that most of those involved in the kidnapping came from outside the state.

He appealed to the people to provide security operatives with information on suspicious movements in their areas.
Also, the deputy police commissioner assured the doctors that his men had swung into action and urged them to be patient.

He commended the doctors for their matured approach to the issue, promising that security would be beefed up at Nnewi to forestall further kidnapping in the area.