JUST IN: Lagos NMA Issues New Directive To Striking Doctors

The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Lagos State branch has called off the strike action it embarked on yesterday as it asked its members to resume work.

Ekohotblog understands that the stay-at-home order which started on Wednesday was as a result of police brutality.

This online news platform recalls that essential workers were on Tuesday arrested by the police in Lagos following the directive of Mohammed Adamu, Inspector-General of Police which was against President Muhammadu Buhari’s April 27 order stating that there be restriction of movement between 8pm and 6am nationwide to check the spread of COVID-19 excluding health workers, journalists and other essential workers from the curfew.

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“Whereas, the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari through the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, was clear on the exemption of essential workers including doctors and other health workers from the ongoing lockdown/movement restrictions, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, has been issuing conflicting directives on social and mainstream media to the effect that essential workers including doctors and other health workers are not exempted.

“As a direct result of the conflicting directives of the government and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the Lagos State branch of Nigerian Medical Association was inundated yesterday evening with several cases of harassments and intimidation of doctors and other health workers by officers and men of the Police Command in Lagos State.

“The healthcare workers were either resuming duty, returning home, or on-transit to heed an emergency call.

“There was a most disturbing case of an ambulance conveying an injured patient which was prevented from moving to destination, while the attending health workers were harassed and temporarily detained,” they added.