The Public Services International and its affiliates in Nigeria condemn in its entirety the recent abduction of two young female nurses in the Kaduna State in northern Nigeria. On 22 April, armed bandits stormed the Rural Hospital Idon, Kajuru local government area (LGA) of Kaduna State and kidnapped nurse Grace and nurse Afiniki who were on duty.

It is traumatizing to imagine that these nurses are made to suffer the pervasive terrorism that has become the order of the day in Nigeria. They have joined the crew of nurses who have experienced horrors in line of duty, some paying ultimate price gruesomely. This is completely unacceptable!

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) through its state organ in Kaduna State swiftly reacted by mobilizing its members in protest to demand for the immediate and unconditional release of the young nurses. The union gave the Ministry of Health the ultimatum of 48-hours to act. Otherwise, they will ask their members to refrain from going to work given the lack of security in their workplaces. Recently, health workers have become the targets for kidnapping by bandits and terrorist groups, who have been attacking hospitals and health facilities and looking for those personnel who are ‘in white uniforms.’ Because of this, the union has been forced to advise their members not to wear their white uniforms when reporting to work, especially those going on night-shifts in order to protect their identity if an attack happens. While already risking their lives on the frontlines of the covid-19 pandemic, nurses and health workers are also putting themselves in danger as they become the targets for kidnapping. PSI unions demand for the security of all health workers!

The unions will continually sustain the clarion call on Government at all levels to take the life and freedom of these nurses seriously and to do the needful to secure their release. Even if the nurses come out alive, which we fervently pray for, they have been horribly traumatized. The earlier their release, the less the trauma impact on the victims and their families.

PSI and its affiliates will continue to amplify our voices in protest publicly and loudly against the invasion of hospitals and kidnapping of nurses on duty. The anarchy in the land can not be allowed to have a semblance of the norm. The abduction of our nurses in Kaduna is one horror too many. It has magnified the danger and hazards nurses face in the course of being on duty 24/7 in health facilities with little or no security.

It is important to point out that health workers should not be regarded as a target in conflict situations. As we struggle to deliver quality public services in communities around the country especially in this time of the pandemic, our lives must be secured. It is high time that the Government ensures maximum security at our hospital facilities in conflict zones.

#HealthWorkersAreNotaarget. #FreeOurNursesNow

https://tracereporters.com/2021/04/24/address-insecurity-in-health-sector-kaduna-health-workers-tells-el-rufai/

https://guardian.ng/news/nurses-give-kaduna-govt-48hrs-to-rescue-kidnapped-colleagues/

See also article written by Maria Ostberg-Svanelind, ASSR International Secretary

Om facklig kamp för trygghet

För några dagar sedan kidnappades de två sjuksköterskorna Grace och Afiniki i Katuna, två timmars resa norr om Nigerias huvudstad Abuja. De var som vanligt på sitt arbete på sjukhuset i Kaduna. Kidnapparna tros vara vanliga banditer och inte banditer från terrororganisationen Boko Haram som härjar i norra Nigeria.

https://akademssr.se/post/om-facklig-kamp-trygghet