Nurses at Ogun State Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta, along with colleagues from other parts of the state, gathered on Thursday to protest the alleged assault of a final-year student nurse by a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Nurudeen Adekunle.
The incident reportedly took place on September 24, 2024, when Dr. Adekunle allegedly slapped the student nurse at the hospital’s theatre suite.
The protest was led by Adejoke Bello, the state Chairman of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives. The nurses, despite the rain, carried placards with messages like “End bullying of nurses,” “Respect for nurses,” and “Justice for nurses is a must.” They also chanted songs to express their dissatisfaction with how the situation has been handled.
Bello explained that the peaceful protest became necessary because attempts to resolve the issue through official channels had failed. “The peaceful demonstration is to register our dissatisfaction and displeasure over an unethical practice. This is assault, and it is against public service rules,” she said. “We won’t tolerate this. We wrote to the appropriate authorities last Monday and gave them 48 hours to address the incident, but we’ve heard nothing, especially from the hospital management. We had no choice but to protest.”
She added, “We demand that Dr. Adekunle be brought to justice according to public service rules. We say no to harassment and assault of nurses.”
Comrade Lola Idowu Falujo, the Unit Chairman of the Nurses’ Association at Ijaye Hospital, also condemned the doctor’s actions, calling it unacceptable. “We are doing our best in this hospital to care for patients and move the state forward. We don’t deserve this kind of treatment. Bullying of nurses must stop,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Hospital Management Board, Dr. Olayinka Elemide, addressed the protesters, assuring them that the government is aware of the incident and is taking steps to address it. “The government is on top of the situation and will ensure due process is followed,” Elemide said.
