Nurses Shut Benin-Lagos Highway Over Colleagues’ Abduction

Vehicular and human traffic on the busy Benin-Lagos Highway was on standstill for several hours yesterday as nurses from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) protested the abduction of two of their colleagues by unknown gunmen.
This is coming few weeks after another colleague was kidnapped and later released after an undisclosed ransom was paid.

The abducted nurses were identified as Osemielu Lydia and Oviosu Bose, both Nursing officers grade II and were kidnapped yesterday in a private car along the Isihor axis of the Benin Lagos road, Egor Local government council, shortly after closing from work.
The protesting nurses brandished various placards with inscriptions like, “Nurses are public servants, enough of the kidnapping”, “UBTH Nurses say no to kidnapping” and “Release our nurses!”

Taking over major streets and federal highways in the state capital, they disrupted vehicular and pedestrian movements on the busy express road.

The protesting nurses who abandoned their duty posts also stopped over at the palace of His Royal Highness, Crown Prince (Amb) Eheneden Erediauwa, Edaiken N’ Uselu, and the Edo state House of Assembly Premises (EDHA) to register their displeasure over the incessant kidnap of nurses in the state.

It would be recalled that no fewer than four nurses of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) have been abducted in the last one month.
President of National Association of Nurses and Midwives (NANM) UBTH Branch, Austin Osigbemhe, who condemned the act of kidnapping nurses, appealed for their release unhurt.

”We frown at the evil act. Nurses are civil servants and should be protected and not targets of kidnappers. We need these nurses released unconditionally and unhurt.”
Efforts to reach the management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) to comment on the situation was unsuccessful as the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Michael Ibadin was said to be presiding over a meeting at the time of filing this report.