Abia doctors threaten strike over surgeon’s abduction

The Abia State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the state government and security agencies to ensure the immediate release of its member, Dr Bonaventure Aguocha.

The ultimatum is contained in a communique jointly signed by the NMA Chairman, Dr Ezenwa Ezuruike, and the Secretary, Dr Clement Ifenkoronye, at the end of the association’s Emergency General Meeting in Umuahia, the state capital, on Monday, June 1, 2026.

The doctors warned that failure to secure Aguocha’s release would lead to “total and indefinite strike” in Abia State from 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 2.

The NMA disclosed that Aguocha was abducted while returning to Umuahia from Imo State on May 24, 2026.

It described Aguocha, the former Abia NMA chairman, as a member who rendered “selfless services” in Abia and Imo States.

The association described the incident as “one too many” in a pattern of attacks on medical practitioners, citing the unresolved 2020 abduction of a former Chief Medical Director of Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Uwadinachi Iweha.

“Doctors have increasingly become targets of assaults, harassment, intimidation and abduction by criminal elements, in spite their commitment to providing quality healthcare under challenging conditions of poor motivation and remuneration,” the doctors stated.

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The NMA called on the Department of State Services (DSS), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and Commissioners of Police in Abia and Imo States to intensify efforts to secure Aguocha’s freedom.

The NMA also urged the governors of the states to deploy all the necessary resources and influence for his prompt release.

The doctors equally appealed to the federal and state governments, security agencies, traditional rulers, community leaders, and well-meaning Nigerians to join efforts to secure the surgeon’s release.

The doctors warned that failure to act within the stipulated timeframe would further erode healthcare workers’ confidence in government’s ability to guarantee their safety and could adversely affect healthcare delivery in Abia and Imo States.