JUST IN: Abducted medical doctors released hours after Cross River NMA began indefinite strike
Less than 24 hours after their coworkers started an ongoing walkout to demand their freedom, two medical professionals who had been abducted in Cross Rivers have been freed.
The development was verified on Tuesday by Dr. Felix Archiving, the state’s chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA).
Due to increased job insecurity, including the most recent kidnapping of two doctors on November 18, the doctors had announced an indefinite strike on Monday.
The two doctors were released early on Tuesday morning together with two other people, according to the NMA chairman, without having to pay a ransom. The kidnappers had first sought a N100,000,000 ransom.
Mr Archibong noted that the Cross River government and the security agencies facilitated the freedom of the abducted four.
The victims were released unhurt.
“I can confirm to you that my two members have been released, they were released with the two other persons abducted with them,” he said.
The two medical personnel along with two others were abducted at Ekomita, along the Calabar-Ikom highway on Friday.
The kidnapping of the two doctors prompted the NMA to commence indefinite industrial action on Monday, following the expiration of 48 hours given the state government to secure their freedom.
The state Commissioner of Police, Sule Balarabe, is yet to respond to calls and text messages sent to him if arrests were made in the process of regaining the freedom of the medical doctors.
