MDCAN Decry kidnapping of Cross River Doctors
The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has decried the increasing rate of doctors kidnapping in Cross River State.
According to MDCAN, 14 doctors have been kidnapped in Cross River State in five years.
The MDCAN made this known in a press statement signed by its President, Dr. Victor Makanjuola, and Secretary-General, Dr. Yemi Raji.
A professor of neurology, Ekanem Philip-Ephraim, was kidnapped in Calabar on July 13, 2023, and she has yet to be released.
“Today (Thursday) makes it 48 days since our very senior colleague and Professor of Neurology, Prof. Ekanem Philip-Ephraim, was kidnapped from her home in Calabar, Cross River State, and taken into captivity. With no communication from her captors, the state of her current physical and mental health remains a matter of conjecture.
“Her situation appears to mirror the security situation in Calabar, given the rising incidences of what looks like unchecked kidnap of citizens. As it stands today, there is a pervading air of fear around both the work and home environments within our cities and the state as a whole.
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“How else does one explain the kidnap of as many as 14 doctors in one city in just 5 years? That we have lost confidence in the ability of the Cross River State Police Command to contain the trend of kidnapping in the state will only be putting it mildly,” the statement read in part.
The association also urged the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun to activate a special investigative team to unravel the crime rate in the state.
“In our earlier letter to the Inspector General of Police on August 21, 2023, we prayed to him to activate a special investigative team to unravel this latest crime in a list of several others. We also want to call on the public to join us in calling on the government at all levels to prioritise the security of the lives of Nigerians as we refuse to accept this as another unresolved kidnap incident.
“On September 1, 2023, we will be holding a white ribbon event in all MDCAN chapters across the country to call attention to this unresolved crime,” it noted.
The Police Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, could not respond to inquiries made by our correspondent concerning the matter.
He did not take his calls and has yet to respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
