By Simon Ebegbulem

BENIN CITY-  Former Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Professor Eugene Okpere, who was abducted, Sunday, by kidnappers, regained his freedom Thursday, after the family was said to have paid N2.5million ransom.

Despite his release, the Edo state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), today, vowed to continue its protest strike against what it described as the incessant abduction of doctors in the state until their movement is guaranteed by relevant authorities.

It was learnt that the family and friends of the kidnapped former CMD contributed the money for his release. But the state chairman of the NMA, Dr Philip Ugbodaga, however denied that ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

The doctors who protested to the state Government House in Benin City in their hundreds, regretted that government had not done enough to curb the excesses of kidnappers in the state. They insisted they will not leave the Government House until an official of the state government addressed them.

The doctors in a protest letter to the governor and signed by Dr Ugbodaga and the Secretary of the association, said they would not suspend the strike they have started. They called for the convocation of a “stakeholders’ conference on insecurity in Edo state by the state government” and a “comprehensive update on the outcome of arrested suspected kidnappers” in the state.

The NMA also called for immediate provision of security personnel to senior members of the medical profession and the overhauling of security apparatus in the state. Besides, the doctors called for the release of a white paper of the Justice Amaize commission of inquiry into the   Ogida police/army clash in Benin city and the immediate deployment of military personnel to the to stamp out kidnapping as was recently done in Abia state.

Deputy Chief of Staff to the governor, Dr. John Ejale and a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) in the Economic Management Team of the governor, Taiwo Akerele, who addressed the angry doctors insisted that the state government had done enough to combat crime in the state.

They stressed that the Governor had made several efforts to nib in the bud kidnapping in the state but his efforts are being hampered because he does not have direct control over security agencies that are under the state government.