Nigeria Content Online

Abductors of former
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Benin Teaching
Hospital (UBTH), have demanded for a ransom of N50 million before
releasing the man.

Eugene Okepere was kidnapped on his way to church on Sunday morning.

A close family
source told journalists yesterday that the abductors contacted the
family on Sunday night, where they made their demands and thereafter
switched off their lines without giving room for any negotiation.

Meanwhile,
activities in government hospitals across the state remained skeletal
yesterday owing to the directive from the leadership of the state
chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to restrict their
services to only emergency cases and those already on admission before
Sunday.

Dr. Philip Ugbodaga,
the association chairman, said they had to still continue to render
skeletal services because of the presence of the old politician, Anthony
Enahoro, who is still recuperating at UBTH.

“Ordinarily, we are
to stop work totally, but we have a special guest in one of our
hospitals, Anthony Enahoro, so we are attending to people already with
us because of him, and also emergency cases. The leadership of the NMA
will meet to take a critical position on this development where medical
workers are now targets of kidnappers,” he said.

Meanwhile, as at the
time of filing this report, it was gathered that the Medical and Dental
Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), UBTH chapter, was meeting
to review the situation and may embark on total strike action to call
for the unconditional release of the former CMD who is believed to have
improved on the infrastructural and personnel status of the teaching
hospital.

Police sources
confirmed the latest development on the demands of the suspected
kidnappers, but refused to disclose what they were doing.

The state police spokesperson, Peter Ogboi, was said to be at a meeting when checked at his office yesterday.