Workers of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike on Thursday (today), if their abducted colleague, Queen Adeyeye, a pharmacist, is not released.
The workers, under the aegis of Joint Union of Health Workers of Nigeria, on Wednesday issued a 24-hour ultimatum (from Wednesday) to the federal and the Ondo State governments to ensure the release of their colleague or risk an industrial crisis.
Adeyeye was kidnapped on Saturday by unknown gunmen at her Ishelu Quarters (residence) in Owo and since then her whereabouts has been unknown.Armed with placards with various inscriptions such as, ‘Say no to kidnapping,’ ‘Save health workers,’ ‘Bring back our staff,’ ‘We demand the release of Adeyeye’, among others, the workers took to the streets of Owo, chanting different solidarity songs to register their protest.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the Chairman of the FMC, Owo Branch of Joint Health Sectors Workers Unions, Omoniyi Joseph, said the kidnap of Adeyeye was unacceptable.
He said it was unfortunate that the security agencies in the state had not had any clue about the whereabouts of the female pharmacist five days after she was kidnapped.
Joseph threatened that if by today (Thursday) their colleague was not released, all the workers of the FMC would begin an indefinite strike.
“As far as we are concerned, nothing has been done to secure the release of our colleague from the kidnappers’ den by the government and the security agents.
“If in the next 24 hours our colleague is not released, we will withdraw our services and it is going to be indefinite. We are now calling on the Ondo State Government and the security agents to make sure that Adeyeye, a pharmacist, is freed.”
Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Joseph, said the command was still on top of the situation, expressing the hope that the police would secure the release of the pharmacist very soon.
source:punc
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