Ada Wodu, Calabar
Medical doctors took to the streets of Calabar, on Tuesday, to protest against the kidnap of a paediatrician at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Dr Vivien Otu.
Otu was kidnapped by gunmen last Friday in the Marian area of Calabar.
The protesting doctors carried placards with various inscriptions such as: ‘Kidnapping is an act of terrorism’, ‘Make Cross River safe again’, ‘Cross River is not a den for kidnappers’, and Let’s stamp out kidnapping’, among others.
They marched through the streets and blocked the Governor’s Office gate after they had visited the state House of Assembly, where the Speaker, Eteng Williams, assured them of improved security in the state.
The state Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Innocent Abang, said, “We have come to present our grievances to the governor because of the incessant kidnap of our colleagues and how we have become an endangered species in Cross River State. We pay taxes in this state and we are protecting and saving lives. So, we want to tell the government to please protect our land and give us the privilege to save lives.
“The State Security Adviser, who stood in for the governor, should brief us on how far they have gone to ensure that our colleague is safe and will be released to us today (Tuesday). We don’t want it beyond today. We want Cross River State to be safe from kidnapping. Other states have had it this way and they are doing well now. We can also do well.”
Addressing the protesters, the State Security Adviser, South, Ani Esin, said “I welcome you to the Governor’s Office. We are aware of your plight. On Friday, we received a distress call about your colleague, who was kidnapped on Friday evening, and we quickly swung into action. It is an unfortunate situation that we see.
“Once again, a doctor has been kidnapped. It is something we tried to avoid. But it has happened. So, what we have to do now is to make sure that this doctor, Mrs Otu, is released with immediate effect without any ransom.
“We have been working round the clock since this happened and right now, I can say that we are on top of the situation. We have all the information as to her location and what is happening; we are close to your colleague; I can assure you that just as you have said, she must be released. We stand by you on this.
“We are going to do everything in our powers to make sure that she is returned to you safe, sound and hearty. The governor is also aware of it and has given us a marching mandate that nobody sleeps until Mrs Otu is returned to her colleagues.”
The Chairman, Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Cross River State chapter, Dr Bassey Nakanda, said, “I am sad; I am heartbroken and depressed. I am everything that is bad. That is the way I feel. I feel bad. I cannot imagine what has happened to my sister. This is the fifth day she has been in the custody of her abductors.
“All the medical women are heartbroken; we have cried our hearts out. But, honestly we need her out. You need to go to her house and see the children crying and asking after their mother. She has been caring for other people’s children; she is a paediatrician. This is a doctor who will stand on her feet and make sure that other people’s children survive; this is a doctor who will pull out her money to buy drugs for helpless children. Today, that is the reward she gets for saving lives in Cross River State. The reward is for her to be kidnapped and tormented.”
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