Adesola said the IGP Usman Baba must take the murder case of Iluobe as a priority that must be solved by his best investigators within the shortest time.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP) on Friday called for speedy justice for the late Dr Uyi Iluobe.
Iluobe was allegedly killed on December 31, 2022, while attending to a patient at Olive Clinic, Oghara-Eki, Delta State by some gunmen.
In a statement in Lagos, the ANPMP National President, Dr Kayode Adesola, appealed to the Federal Government to prevail on the Nigeria Police to prioritise investigations into the murder of their colleague.
The ANPMP is the umbrella organisation for all medical and dental doctors in private practice, either as owners or employees in the country.
Adesola said the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, must take the murder case of Iluobe as a priority that must be solved by his best investigators within the shortest time.
“We wish to state that nothing short of a very thorough, yet swift investigation, arrest and timely prosecution of the assassins will be acceptable.
“No stone must be left unturned to unravel the mysteries surrounding this dastardly act.
“The conclusion that Iluobe was murdered by cultists is akin to the abnormal ready-made lazy excuses, usually heard from our police officers.
“Murders in the South-East are tied routinely round the necks of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) or the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) or Unknown Gunmen.
“In the North-West, bandits, and North-East, Boko Haram,” he said.
Adesola stated that as at the time of the “cultists” conclusion, staff or witnesses of the attack, or wife of the deceased, were yet to be interrogated.
“No attention was given yet to the issue of the threat by a known patient, who, a few weeks earlier at discharge, had promised he would come back to deal with the late doctor,” he said.
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According to him, security around all public and private health facilities operating in the country must be taken seriously.
“The lives of Nigerian doctors matter; the lives of all health workers matter.
“Many of our colleagues that recently left the shores of this country did so, not only because of better pay, but also for the near hopelessness of the security system. Security issues must be rejigged as a priority,” he said.
Adesola commended the Delta Police Command for its response and arrest of some people described as cultists, whom the police alleged to be the perpetrators of the mindless evil.
He commiserated with the family of the deceased, adding that the association would monitor all developments regarding the case and act where necessary, to ensure justice.
Similarly, Dr Benjamin Olowojebutu, the Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, Lagos State, appealed to the IGP to ensure that the murderers of Iluobe were brought to quick justice.
Olowojebutu appealed to the government at all levels to prioritise the security of lives and properties of citizens.