Nurses threaten to shun night shifts over Akure health centre attack

By Boye Oyeyemi

Nurses in Ondo State have threatened to boycott night duties following last Saturday’s attack on a health facility in Akure, the state capital.

The warning was issued by the Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives in the state, Felix Orobode, after armed men reportedly invaded the Oke Ijebu Healthcare Centre.

Orobode said the assailants stormed the facility at night, assaulted health workers and made away with cash and other valuables before taking some staff members with them to bush where their valuables taken before being abandoned.

Describing the incident as alarming, Orobode said the development highlighted growing insecurity in the state, particularly as the attack occurred in a central part of Akure.

He warned that nurses across the state might withdraw from night shifts if adequate security measures are not urgently put in place. “I want to state clearly that we will not wait until our members are kidnapped and ransom becomes an issue. If government fails to secure our facilities, nurses will stop night duty across Ondo State,” he said.

Orobode also decried the poor security arrangement in many public health centres, noting that most rely on elderly and unarmed guards who lack the capacity to respond to threats.

The chairman added that the rising fear among health workers could negatively affect service delivery, especially during night hours when medical attention is often critical.

As disclosed by Orobode, the union has begun engagements with the state commissioner for health and the chairman of Akure South Local Government, pending its next line of action.