Abducted female doctor regains freedom after 10 months

Kaduna-based medical doctor, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, has regained freedom from captivity 10 months after she was kidnapped.

Popoola, a registrar in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna State, was abducted on December 27, 2023, along with her husband, Nurudeen Popoola, who is a Squadron leader, and her nephew, Folaranmi Abdul-Mugniy, who stays with them.

After several negotiations with the kidnappers, the husband was released on March 8, 2024, but the doctor and Abdul-Mugniy were held back.

Daily Trust reports that the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had embarked on a series of protests nationwide and repeatedly made calls on the Federal Government to secure release of the doctor.

The female doctor and her nephew were, however, released on Wednesday evening by the captors.

The President of NARD, Tope Zenith Osundara, confirmed the release in a telephone interview with Daily Trust.

“Yes, it is true. It happened today (Wednesday). For now, we have insulated her away from people, we only allow very limited access to her,” Osundara told our correspondent.”

When asked how much was paid to secure her freedom, he responded “No ransom was paid at all.”