A medical doctor attached to the Cottage Hospital, Ikot Ekpaw, in the Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Felix Ekpo, who was abducted by gunmen, has been rescued.
Ekpo was abducted and his car driven away in the early hours of Tuesday on the premises of the hospital.
Members of the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, in a statement, threatened to withdraw their services if he was not released within 48 hours.
The statement read in part, “Furthermore, we call on the government to make haste to uphold the constitution, especially Chapter 2, Section 14, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government
“To this end, we humbly request the government to deploy all its rich security machinery towards the urgent and critical task of rescuing Dr Ekpo, who is not only a citizen but also an employee of the government, kidnapped in the line of duty, right at his place of duty, as assigned to him by the government.
“As it stands, the Akwa Ibom medical community is in a state of shock and palpable fear. In the next 48 hours, it is our hope that Dr Ekpo does return to us, failing which we may be forced to suspend medical services in the entire state so as to enable us to go in search of our dear colleague, Dr Felix Ekpo.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko MacDon, on Wednesday, said the abducted doctor had been rescued and reunited with his family.
He said, “We are doing our best to be proactive to prevent the commission of crimes, but where we are unable to do so and a crime is committed, we will spare no resources, including personal resources, in ensuring that we apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to book.
“Dr Ekpo of Cottage Hospital, Mkpat Enin, is safe, debriefed and reunited with his lovely family. We remain resolute and on course.”
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