The Nigeria Medical Association, Cross River chapter, has suspended the strike it embarked on July 16, following the abduction of one of its members, Professor Ekanem Ephraim.
This was disclosed by the state chairman of NMA, Dr. Felix Archibong, after an emergency general meeting convened by the association on Saturday in Calabar.
He said the body gave the state government two weeks to rescue their colleague after which they would meet again to review the actions of the government, to determine the next line of action.
Archibong, “Following a letter of appeal from Gov. Bassey Otu, advice of the national president of the association and for the sake of many of the citizens who are suffering, we have suspended the strike to give the government time to rescue our member.
“This action has been carried out despite the fact that our member has not been released. However, if any of our members is kidnapped again, we will go back to strike.
“We are appealing to security agents to step up and maintain the momentum that has been established in the last few weeks, which has reduced cases of kidnapping in the state.”
Speaking further, the chairman said the association prayed that the abducted doctor returns alive but if the opposite happens, there should be modalities put in place by the government for necessary closure of the matter.
He said this would be to allow the family to mourn the deceased and for the government to do the necessary thing for those she had left behind.
Archibong called on members of the public with valuable information that would lead to the rescue of the abducted neurologist to come forward as the governor had placed a bounty of N5 million on the kidnappers.
Ephraim, a Neurologist with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital was abducted on July 13 from her residence in Calabar by kidnappers who pretended to be patients.
(NAN)
