Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Benue State Chapter, Esther Akpai, yesterday raised the alarm of threat to lives of nurses in the state.

Akpai, who made the shocking revelation to newsmen in Makurdi, expressed disgust that four members of the association had at different locations in the state been abducted and one health worker recently killed.

She lamented that neither the government nor security chiefs in the state had come to their rescue.

According to her, the State General Hospital at Katsina-Ala has been shut down following the union’s advice on the security situation in the troubled town.

“As at last year, two nurses working at Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, were abducted and one health worker was killed during the crisis in Katsina-Ala.

“Due to the crisis in Katsina-Ala, we advised the board (Health Management Board) to close down the State General Hospital in Katsina-Ala and it has been shut down.

“When we have such issues, we draw the attention of government and security chiefs in the state but we never got positive response.

“You know nurses work on three shifts, but the second shift close at 9:00 p.m. and third shift resume that time. So, at that time they are going home, they (nurses) are exposed to attack,” she said.

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