Ada Wodu, Calabar
The Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Cross River Chapter, International Federation of Women Lawyers, Holy Child Old Girls Association, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, Presbyterian Women, and others on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest against kidnappings in Calabar.
During the protest organised by the Medical Women Association in the state, the women went around major streets in Calabar.
Speaking, President of MWAN in the state, Dr Bassey Nakanda, said the protest was organised to draw the attention of the state government, security agencies, and relevant stakeholders to the need to rise up and end cases of kidnapping in the state.
Nakanda said medical women had continued to suffer incessant kidnappings in the state with the recent case being that of Dr Vivien Otu, who was kidnapped on August 28, 2020, in Calabar and released on September 3.
“Medical women and others have become victims of kidnapping in Calabar and this act is totally condemnable.
“When it comes to kidnapping, the trauma that women go through lives with them forever; they are beaten, raped, and humiliated.
“We are all aware that they have been several cases of kidnapping in Calabar and as women, we need to stand up, speak, and fight for ourselves.
“Calabar used to be the most peaceful state in Nigeria but we are now living in fear. We need to visit the government, royal fathers, and security agencies to register our complaints,” she said.
While at Watt market roundabout, she called on the state government to provide security for all residents in the state.
“The government owes us a responsibility of security and they have to rise up to that responsibility,” she said. (Punch)