GOMBE, Nigeria (The Informant) – Health workers are fast becoming targets of kidnappers in Nigeria, the country’s largest medical union, the Nigerian medical association (NMA) said Thursday, adding that some of them have already been kidnapped while discharging their duties.
President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Uche Ojinmah, told reporters at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Gombe,
He urged government at all levels to address the insecurity in the country.
Ojinmah called for proactive measures to control worsening health indicators with a view to tackling brain drain in the sector.
In July, suspected terrorists killed two health ad hoc staff members and injured one other.
The victims, in charge of the distribution of mosquito nets to locals, were said to have been attacked while returning from duty in Kaduna state.
While northeastern Nigeria has faced a decade of insecurity, including attacks by militants and armed gangs, including Islamic State-allied Boko Haram, the current wave of kidnappings is primarily financially motivated with students and health workers being the primary targets.