A 48 hour ultimatum has been issued by the Ogun state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to security operatives and the state government to ensure the safety and release of their colleague, who was kidnapped six days ago.
Olusola Otulana, a consultant ophthalmologist and a senior lecturer of the Olabisi Onabanjo University was kidnapped, six days ago and her abductors are demanding a N50 million ransom.
The doctors’ guild warned that they will embark on an industrial action and withdraw their services if she is not released in the next two days.
The threat was issued at a peaceful protest, held by the association in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, south west Nigeria.
The protesting doctors armed with placards with various inscriptions condemned the kidnap and demanded the release of Mrs Otulana, saying such incident is becoming rampant in recent times, as four of such kidnaps have been recorded within the year.
The NMA chairman in the state Adewumi Alayaki, appealed to the state government to ensure the security of his members and freedom for the abducted member of the association.
Mr Alayaki however declared the 48 hour ultimatum after a long treck to the governor’s office.
A letter of protest was handed to the state commissioner for health, Olaokun Soyinka, who assured the protesting doctors that steps are being taken by the governments of both Ogun and Lagos state government to ensure the release of the abducted doctor.
He was however quick to rule out payment of any ransom, saying that “this will set a bad precedent.”
Mr Soyinka reiterated the commitment of the state government towards adequate security of life and property of the citizenry, as he appealed to the protesting doctors not to withdraw their services as this will not be in the interest of the general public.
