Olayiwola Ajisafe
A female doctor, Ganiyat Popoola, who was kidnapped on December 27, 2023, has regained her freedom after 10 months in captivity.
Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna State, was abducted alongside her husband, Nurudeen Popoola, who is a Squadron leader, and her nephew, Folaranmi Abdul-Mugniy, who stays with them.
After several negotiations with the kidnappers, the husband was released on March 8, 2024, but the doctor and Abdul-Mugniy were not released.
However, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, the President, Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Tope Osundara, confirmed the release of Popoola and her nephew to Daily Trust in a telephone interview.
“Yes, it is true. It happened today (Wednesday). For now, we have insulated her away from people, we only allow very limited access to her,” Osundara stated.
The NARD president also noted that no ransom was paid to secure her release.
“No ransom was paid at all,” he said.
When contacted by our correspondent on Wednesday evening, Kaduna State Police Command spokesperson Mansir Hassan noted he was yet to confirm the doctor’s release. However, he promised to revert once he had verified the information.
Popoola’s prolonged abduction had highlighted the need for guaranteed security for Nigerians, as the medical community continued to appeal to the Federal Government and security agencies to ensure her safe return.
NARD launched a campaign for Popoola’s release with the hashtag “#BringBackDrGaniyat” across social media platforms.
In August 2024, members of the Association of Resident Doctors at the National Hospital, Abuja, held a peaceful protest to demand Popoola’s rescue. Protestors carried placards with various messages, such as “Free Dr Ganiyat Popoola, help bring Ganiyat home safely,” “Rescue Dr Ganiyat now,” “Please, help bring Dr Ganiyat home,” “Injury to one is an injury to all,” and “Doctors are crying, help us save her.”
A similar protest was held in Ogun State by resident doctors at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.
Speaking to one of our correspondents, the ARD President at the hospital, Dr Lanre-Aremo Babajide, stated that the doctors would embark on an indefinite strike from 26 August 2024 if Popoola was not rescued.
He said, “Our demand is simple: we want the government to intervene and secure our colleague, Dr Popoola’s, release from captivity. We are calling on the Federal Government, security chiefs, and the National Security Adviser to intervene and secure her release.
“People are trained to rescue abducted captives, so they should act immediately. If she’s not rescued by 26 August, we will embark on an indefinite strike as directed by our national body, NARD.”
Meanwhile, in a letter dated 12 August, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, petitioned the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene in the doctor’s case.
It was reported that since the abduction, the kidnappers had periodically allowed family members to speak with the captives, with the last communication on Wednesday, 24 July 2024, to confirm that the doctor and her nephew were still alive.
The minister’s letter stated in part, “The association informed us of the abduction of one of their members, Dr Ganiyat Olawole Popoola, a Senior Registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, and her nephew over seven months ago (December 2023), and that the victims have remained in the kidnappers’ custody to date.”
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