The FCT chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives has condemned the assault of one of its members by suspected ‘one-chance’ criminals in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the chapter’s chairman, Jama Medan, on Wednesday, the association said the victim, a nurse at Wuse General Hospital, had completed her afternoon shift but stayed back to assist a colleague on night duty in stabilising a critically ill patient.

According to him, the nurse was attacked, beaten and left seriously wounded while returning home after work.

“She is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit. The leadership and members of NANNM, FCT Chapter, strongly condemn, in the strongest possible terms, yet another brutal attack on an innocent nurse,” said the association.

The association noted that the attack was a painful reminder of a previous case involving a health worker at Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, noting that the matter remained unresolved.

It decried what he called repeated attacks on nurses working across the FCT, including those in Wuse, Asokoro, Kubwa, Maitama, Kuje and Gwarinpa, stressing that such attacks were unacceptable.

The association called for a thorough and immediate investigation, urging authorities to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible to serve as a deterrent. According to NANNM, the safety of nurses and other healthcare workers must be treated as a national priority.

The NANNM urged FCT minister Nyesom Wike to direct security agencies, including the State Security Service, to strengthen surveillance around hospitals and ensure regular patrols of vulnerable bus stops. It added that swift justice must be ensured for affected healthcare workers.

“No healthcare worker should risk their life simply for serving humanity,” said the statement.

It warned that many nurses, especially women, now feel unsafe commuting to and from work, describing some bus stops around hospitals as “death traps”.

The association called for immediate, decisive and sustained action to guarantee the safety and security of all nurses and healthcare workers in Abuja.

(NAN)