Patients at the Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo
State, have been abandoned to their fate as the medical staff on the
platform of JOHESU shut down activities at the facility to protest against the
kidnap of the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Sylvanus
Okogbeni.
The state Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has however
assured the people of the state that security agencies are working assiduously
to rescue Okogbeni, who was kidnapped last Monday by gunmen in Benin-city.
The governor stated this yesterday after a closed-door meeting with security chiefs in the state at the Government House
in Benin-city, noting that all units of the state security architecture are on
top of their game to ensure that the abducted CMD regains his freedom.
This came as authorities of the Specialist Hospital
said on Tuesday that no communication has been established between the
abductors, the family of the kidnapped CMD and the hospital.
Professor Okogbeni was abducted by gunmen at Ramat
Park in the city after they shot at his convoy which led to the death of two
policemen attached to him while his personal driver and another person in his
convoy sustained serious gunshot injuries in the process.
The gunmen were said to have trailed the CMD
through the busy Auchi-Benin road before they swooped on him at the popular
Ramat Park in Ikpoba Okha council area of the state.
The protesting workers of the hospital, which
included medical doctors, midwives and nurses, bore placards with various
inscriptions during the demonstration, demanding the immediate release of their
boss.
They insisted that they would not return to work
until the kidnapped CMD is released ‘because he has been a good leader of the
people within and outside the hospital community.’
Some of the placards read: ‘Our CMD is a leader,
release him’; ‘No CMD, no work’; among others which were aimed to draw
government attention to the ugly incident.
The protesters also proceeded to the council
secretariat to register their displeasure, which they described as life-threatening
and ugly development.
The Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr.
Ernest Odigie Ohue, said the medial staff took to the street to register their
unhappiness because they are of the view that Okogbeni, since assumption of
office, has been trying his very best to transform the hospital.
He disclosed that special prayers were held by the
staff since the incident took place for his safety and freedom from his
captors.
According to Ohue, "Today, the protest was cause
by the kidnap of our CMD last Monday in Benin-city. Two policemen were killed
and two of his drivers were injured in the process and are now in the hospital.
No communication has been established with the kidnappers.
"We held a special prayer session in different
places because of the incident. All the doctors, nurses and clinical staff
participated in the protest to show solidarity because they are not happy. The
CMD has been a good leader; so all the medical staff, including doctors, were
not happy, as the CMD has been trying his best to transform the hospital."
Meanwhile, Obaseki has assured the state that
security agencies are working assiduously to rescue Okogbeni.
The governor said this after a closed-door meeting
with security chiefs in the state in the Government House, noting that all
units of the state security architecture are on top of their game to ensure
that the abducted CMD regains his freedom.
According to the governor, "We have stepped up
surveillance in the past weeks in the state with our new security architecture.
Citizens have been going about their daily activities peacefully. But the
kidnap of the CMD is a setback. Edo people should be assured that security
agencies will certainly trail the kidnappers and rescue Okogbeni."
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Danmalam Mohammed, has
also assured the people that men of the state Police Command are on the trail
of the kidnappers.
The commissioner said the state is the most peaceful in the
South-south region despite the recent kidnap incident, noting that "Edo is
the most peaceful state in the South-south region, and we are putting in our
best to ensure that the state remains peaceful. We are strategising to
checkmate the activities of criminals.
"The kidnap of CMD is quite unfortunate and sad. We
lost two of our gallant police officers in the incident, but there were no
civilian casualties. I am assuring members of the public that we are on the
trail of the kidnappers and by God's grace we shall arrest them.”
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