The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of two people allegedly involved in the assault of a medical officer at Gwarinpa General Hospital, Lifecamp, Abuja.

NARD made the demand in a statement issued on Friday, following the alleged assault of a senior medical officer while on call at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit on 31 August.

According to the association, a patient physically attacked the doctor and his companion following a disagreement over his clinical assessment.

The alleged assailants also threatened the doctor and his family, NARD said.

The association described the incident as unacceptable, saying it posed a serious threat to the safety, dignity and welfare of healthcare workers providing essential services to the public.

48-hour service reduction

NARD said it supports the Association of Resident Doctors, FCT Administration (ARD-FCTA), resolution to embark on a 48-hour step-down of services at Gwarinpa General Hospital.

The action commenced at 8 a.m. on 3 September and is expected to end at 8 a.m. on 5 September.

The association said the action was in line with the North Central Caucus Guidelines for responding to assaults against its members.

NARD commended the leadership and Congress of ARD-FCTA for exercising “patience, restraint, and maturity” by giving relevant authorities a reasonable time to address the matter.

NARD demands action

The doctors’ association called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to immediately apprehend, investigate, and prosecute the alleged assailants in accordance with the law.

“Any delay in taking decisive action risks creating a dangerous precedent and further exposing healthcare workers to violence,” the association said.

NARD also urged the FCT Hospitals Management Board and other relevant authorities to strengthen security across healthcare facilities, particularly Accident and Emergency Units.

It said improved security was necessary to protect healthcare workers, patients and hospital property.

The association expressed solidarity with the affected doctor and his family, assuring its members that it remained committed to protecting their safety, dignity and welfare.

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“Violence against healthcare workers is unacceptable,” NARD said, stressing that doctors must be allowed to perform their duties in a safe and secure environment.

Recent case

The incident comes amid renewed concerns over violence against healthcare workers and its impact on hospital services.

On Wednesday, resident doctors at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Akwa Ibom State, began an indefinite strike following the alleged assault of a house officer by an elderly woman at the hospital.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Akwa Ibom State branch, gave the hospital management and security agencies 48 hours to identify and prosecute those responsible for the alleged assault.

The Uyo action followed another disruption at the same hospital in May, when doctors embarked on an indefinite strike after an operation by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the facility triggered controversy over alleged assault and the arrest of hospital workers.

The camp of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has kicked against the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

DAILY POST reports that the former Kaduna governor has spent 200 days in detention since he was taken into the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

A statement by Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, said El-Rufai is entitled to justice, due process and equal treatment under the law.

He described the former governor as a political prisoner, alleging that he is being detained simply because he decided to chart a different political path, as provided for in Nigeria’s Constitution.

According to him, former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who is facing an ongoing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, remains politically active and has secured the senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, stressing that nobody should be above the law.

“Two hundred days! That’s how long Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has spent in detention as at today, 04 September 2026.

“By the way, he is not asking for immunity from investigation. He is entitled to justice, due process and equal treatment under the law.

“But Nigerians have every right to ask: why does the law appear so aggressive against opposition politicians and so accommodating to politicians in the ruling APC?

“The pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: police, EFCC, ICPC and other state institutions, including a rogue element of the judiciary, have ‘Emilokanised’ into instruments of pressure against opposition figures as 2027 approaches.

“If the APC believes Nigerians love its record of hunger, inflation, high fuel and electricity prices, high cost of living and crushing poverty, let it campaign on that record.

“If Tinubu believes he deserves another mandate, let him earn it at the ballot box and not with a gun to the heads of the opposition leaders and the citizens they seek to govern.

“The opposition should be defeated by voters—not detained, intimidated or buried under endless litigation.

“A government that is confident in its popularity should not fear a strong opposition. Democracy is not simply about holding elections.

“It is about ensuring that those elections are genuinely free and competitive. today, it is El-Rufai. Tomorrow, it could be anyone. If state power is used to clear the political field before Nigerians get to vote, then the greatest casualty will not be the opposition. It will be Nigerian democracy,” the statement said.