Doctors under the age of Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria, MDCAN, had declared a white ribbon event across all federal teaching hospitals and medical centres in Nigeria to protest against insecurity in the country, particularly the kidnapping of Ekanem Phillip-Ephraim, a professor of neurology in Calabar in Cross River State.
Prof Phillip-Ephraim was kidnapped from her home and taken into captivity 50 days ago and since then there has been no communication from her captors. The state of her current physical and mental health remains a matter of conjecture.
MDCAN president, Dr. Victor Makanjuola, in a release he signed jointly with Dr. Yemi Raji, the association’s secretary, said doctors refuse to accept her kidnapping as another unresolved kidnapping incident.
Dr Makanjuola, noting that 14 other doctors had also been kidnapped in the State in the past 5 years, called on the public to prevail on the government at all levels to prioritise the security of the lives of Nigerians.
“Her situation appears to mirror the security situation in Calabar, given the rising incidences of what looks like unchecked kidnapping of citizens.
“As it stands today, there is a pervasive air of fear around both the work and home environments within our cities and the State as a whole.
“How else does one explain the kidnapping of as many as 14 doctors in one city in just five years?
“That we have lost confidence in the ability of the Cross River State Police to contain the trend of kidnapping in the State will only be putting it mildly.
“In our earlier letter to the Inspector General of Police on August 21, 2023, we prayed for 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 kidnapping incident.”
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