21st January, 2016
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
A medical doctor was shot at midnight in his Consulting room in his abdominal region by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.
The assailantso disguised as patients at the D-Line axis of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, southern Nigeria.
It was learnt that the gunmen had knocked at the door of the Consulting room of the doctor disguised as patients.
Immediately the doctor opened the door they pointed gun at him apparently to kidnap him. In an ensuing struggle the kidnappers shot him in the abdomen and bolted.
This incident happened on the heels of Thursday’s release of two doctors who were kidnapped recently in Port Harcourt.
The two doctors are Dr Isaac Opurum and Dr. Ibifubara Apriokor. They were kidnapped in separate incidents in Port Harcourt.
Dr. Ibifubara Apriokor was kidnapped on her way to church in Abuloma, while Dr. Isaac Opurum was abducted in his home.
Spokesman of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, in Rivers state, Dr. Ibiso Bruce who confirmed the freedom of both doctors last night could not say if ransom was paid by the doctors before they regained their freedom.
The NMA had embarked on a three-day warning strike last week to protest the persistent abduction of doctors in Rivers State.
The NMA PRO Dr. Ibiso Bruce, however, regretted that while they celebrated the release of their two abducted colleagues, another doctor was shot in his abdomen last night in his consulting room in his private hospital at D-Line, Port Harcourt.
“We are happy our to colleagues have been released and they have reunited with their families. While we were praying and hoping for their safe release, one of our colleagues was shot in his consulting room at midnight. As he was attending to patients there was a knock at the door and as doctors, you open your doors to people. As he opened his door, a group of people pointed gun at him and in an attempt to kidnap him, he was shot in the abdomen. He is now undergoing treatment in a hospital in Port Harcourt.
“As a professional body, we condemn this act. Not just the kidnap of doctors but the reckless manner innocent people are being kidnapped,” Bruce said.