Health
Health professionals under threat as safety concerns mount
By Victor Ayeni
A few decades ago, becoming a health professional was regarded as one of the most prestigious and desirable career paths for young Nigerians.
For instance, medicine was associated with intelligence, social status, job security and financial stability, while doctors were highly respected within their communities.
For many parents, having a child who was a healthcare provider was a source of pride and a symbol of having achieved something significant.
The profession was also attractive because doctors, nurses and other health professionals were perceived as having stable careers and relatively comfortable lives, with opportunities to work in government hospitals, private practice or abroad.
Over time, however, poor remuneration, difficult working conditions, inadequate infrastructure, burnout and, most importantly, insecurity have become some of the challenges many face in the health sector.
Reports indicate that criminal networks and armed gangs routinely target, attack or murder medical professionals while on their way home or to work.
In northern and Middle Belt regions of the country, insurgent or bandit groups have attempted to abduct healthcare professionals to forcefully recruit them to treat wounded fighters in remote areas.
Healthcare workers are also highly vulnerable to nighttime burglaries, equipment theft and violent raids, forcing many rural and urban clinics to curtail operating hours or abandon 24-hour services.
There are also reports of frustrated relatives and grieving families frequently directing physical aggression and intimidation at medical staff following poor health outcomes caused by systemic infrastructural failures.
Endangered workers?
The discovery of the lifeless body of a physician in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Dr Stephen Vanman, on Tuesday sparked widespread reactions on social media.
In a statement issued on its Facebook page, the Nigerian Medical Association, Rivers State Branch, said Vanman’s corpse was found at Market Junction along Aba Road.
The association said its State Officers Committee, led by the branch chairman, Prof Ureh Oparaodu, was alerted earlier that Vanman had gone missing after reportedly leaving for work at an unidentified private hospital.
The NMA said it immediately contacted the deceased doctor’s relatives and roommates, who confirmed that the victim had been unreachable since Saturday night.
According to the statement, the SOC later accompanied Vanman’s family to the Mini-Okoro Police Station, Rumuobiakani, Port Harcourt, where they were told that his body had been found by police personnel on Sunday morning (August 9).
Vanman, according to the NMA, was a medical officer who completed his compulsory housemanship at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital earlier in the year before taking up employment in private medical practice.
In June, the NMA, Abia State branch, announced the release of kidnapped orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Uche Aguocha, who was abducted on May 26.
The state branch of the NMA had threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over the surgeon’s abduction. Fortunately, Aguocha regained his freedom on June 2 after nine days in captivity.
‘Our lives should matter’
“We put our lives on the line to save others, and our lives should matter too. While we battle the challenges within the health sector, many of our colleagues are also coming under relentless attacks. It is no longer an isolated pattern; it has become a common reality.
“Aggrieved relatives attack us. We are also vulnerable to armed robbers and bandits because of the very early and late hours we commute. The lack of security is one of the reasons many of us are leaving the country. It is sad that Nigeria has deteriorated this badly,” a medical doctor, Samuel Ajayi, told Sunday PUNCH.
For Rose, a registered nurse in Ogun State, the danger came not from criminals on the road but from the relatives of a patient she was trying to save.
“Last year, I was slapped by one of the relatives who brought a critically ill man to the emergency ward. I was attending to them, but the man, whom I believe was the patient’s elder brother, slapped me across the face, saying I was too slow.
“I was so embarrassed that I cried. It was another doctor who witnessed it, got angry and fought the man back. I kept asking myself what I had done wrong to deserve such humiliating treatment. The respect for this profession has reduced,” she said.
Last month, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors condemned the assault on a resident doctor at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Kwara State, and demanded the swift prosecution of the alleged assailant.
According to NARD, the incident occurred at the hospital’s Emergency Paediatrics Unit after the death of a baby receiving treatment. The association alleged that a relative of the deceased child physically attacked a female Senior Registrar in the Department of Paediatrics, pushing her against a wooden table and injuring her back.
It added that the suspect also verbally abused other healthcare workers, including a professor, before being restrained.
“NARD views this barbaric act as a direct assault not only on our colleague but on the entire medical profession,” the association said, stressing that no healthcare worker should face violence while providing medical care.
The threats confronting health workers extend beyond angry relatives.
On May 12 and 13, 2026, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission raided the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital in Akwa Ibom State, arresting a senior cardiothoracic surgeon and Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee, Prof Eyo Ekpe. The operation triggered panic within the hospital, a local medical strike and nationwide outrage.
Earlier, on March 28, armed gunmen invaded a government-owned Primary Health Centre in Oke Ijebu, Akure, Ondo State. The attackers stormed the facility around 2:00 a.m. during a night shift, stripped members of staff, forced them to transfer money digitally and abducted at least six health workers at gunpoint.
A recent report cited by The PUNCH revealed that armed groups and terrorists kidnapped 91 health workers and killed 15 others in 101 separate attacks on healthcare facilities across Nigeria between 2023 and 2025.
The figures, contained in Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025, published on July 17, 2026, by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, were compiled using data from Insecurity Insight’s global monitoring system.
According to the report, 25 abducted health workers remain unaccounted for, while only 10 were confirmed released. One doctor who survived being shot and kidnapped in late 2025 was released in January 2026, only to be shot dead again shortly after returning home.
The report showed a steady escalation in attacks. In 2023, there were 24 incidents involving 24 kidnappings and six deaths. The figure rose to 34 incidents in 2024, with 35 kidnappings and three deaths. By 2025, attacks had climbed to 43 incidents, a 79 per cent increase from 2023, with 32 health workers abducted in 21 separate incidents and six killed.
It further noted that 95 per cent of the kidnappings recorded in 2025 occurred outside Nigeria’s North-East, with the North-West and North-Central regions emerging as the epicentres of criminal abductions for ransom. Incidents were documented across 16 states, including new cases in Anambra, Adamawa, Kano, Ondo, Edo and Nasarawa.
Strengthening security
Last Thursday, the Federal Government directed the immediate implementation of new measures to protect health workers across Nigeria following a series of attacks, harassment and intimidation reported at federal tertiary health institutions.
The directive followed the submission of the report of the Ministerial Committee on the Harassment of Health Workers by Security Personnel, established after the May incident at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
The committee documented 18 cases of assault, intimidation or harassment over the past year involving patients, relatives, members of the public and security personnel.
It found that the attacks resulted in physical injuries, psychological trauma, damage to hospital property, disruption of healthcare services and industrial actions. Poor communication, long waiting times, inadequate staffing, weak infrastructure, emotional distress, abuse of authority and the absence of clear security protocols were identified as major contributing factors.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, accepted the recommendations and ordered their immediate implementation.
Under the new measures, federal tertiary hospitals are required to strengthen internal security, establish Violence Prevention Teams and improve access control, surveillance and visitor identification, particularly in emergency units and other sensitive areas.
Hospitals are also expected to appoint liaison officers to coordinate with law enforcement agencies, while security operations within hospital premises must not disrupt patient care, compromise confidentiality or interfere with essential health services.
The government further directed that all incidents of assault, threats or harassment against health workers be promptly reported, investigated and documented, with affected personnel receiving institutional support. Serious cases are to be referred to relevant law enforcement, regulatory or human rights authorities.
Pate said implementation would be monitored through periodic progress reports, adding that violence against health workers and interference with healthcare delivery would no longer be tolerated, while existing laws would be enforced against offenders.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, safety expert Emmanuel Bernard said insecurity does not end at the hospital gate and urged security agencies to identify high-risk routes used by healthcare workers and provide patrols or escorts where necessary, particularly for those travelling at night or responding to emergencies.
“There should be security risk assessments for health facilities. Every hospital, especially those in insecure areas, should periodically assess its vulnerabilities and have an emergency response plan.
“The World Health Organisation’s guidance on protecting health workers recommends systematically identifying risks and prioritising preventive measures. These measures need to be fully implemented,” Bernard said.
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