Gunmen attack hospital in Nigeria, kidnap nurses
A nurse who escaped told the BBC that men had hurriedly entered the hospital in the village of Idon, asking for medical staff.
CAPE TOWN, April 23 (ANA) – Gunmen attacked a public hospital in Nigeria’s north-western state of Kaduna in the early hours of Thursday, kidnapping two nurses on night duty, according to local media reports.
A nurse who escaped told the BBC that men had hurriedly entered the hospital in the village of Idon, asking for medical staff.
According to Xinhua news agency, Casfra Caino, chairperson of the Kajuru local government area, confirmed the fresh attack. Caino said the gunmen attacked Idon General Hospital, located in the Kajuru area of the state, through the fence, shooting indiscriminately and dragging away two nurses.
The incident comes two days after students were abducted from a private university near Kaduna city.
The Kaduna State government on Friday confirmed that three of the abducted Greenfield University students had been shot dead by the bandits.
According to Daily Post Nigeria, a statement signed by Samuel Aruwan, commissioner for internal security and home affairs, said the remains of the students were found on Friday in Kwanan Bature village, close to the university.
There has been a notable spike in abductions in Nigeria over the past few months, but the abduction of health workers is a new trend.
At the beginning of April, the Guardian Nigeria reported that unidentified gunmen abducted a medical doctor, Oladunni Odetola, and a nurse identified as Mrs Bamgbose in the Imeko area of Ogun State. They were reportedly kidnapped while driving in their vehicle.
News outlet HumAngle.ng reported that between February 15 and March 12, 1,097 people were kidnapped across Nigeria, with the fourth-highest number of incidents recorded in Kaduna, according to data from the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST).
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher
