TheCable

The Delta police command says the killing of Uyi Iluobe, a medical doctor in the state, was carried out by suspected cultists.

Iluobe was said to have been killed on Saturday by aggrieved relatives of a patient who died from a gunshot wound at Olive Clinic, Oghara.

Speaking with TheCable on Tuesday, Bright Edafe, Delta state police spokesman, confirmed the killing of the doctor but said the crime was committed by suspected cultists and not a patient’s relatives.

“A doctor was actually killed but the story making rounds is not correct. What happened is, suspected cultists went to the hospital disguised as patients who came for treatment. According to nurses, a lady came pretending to be sick and the doctor took her to his office. While the doctor was attending to the lady, she made a call to some people asking where they were,” he said.

“Then two guys came in a Camry and asked one of the nurses where the doctor was while bringing out a gun. The nurses took them to the doctor’s office, and it was at his office that he was shot and killed.

“We suspect that the incident is connected to the cult crisis in Oghara. The reports that he was killed by the relatives of the patients are not true.

“The Delta state command has not received any complaint from anyone that they are suspecting relatives of a patient and there was no time that anyone was rushed to the hospital that day and died.”

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has condemned the killing and called on security agencies to arrest the perpetrators within five days, after which the association will not be able to guarantee the rendering of normal medical services in the south-south zone.

It said a one-week total shutdown of hospitals in Delta state would commence after a press conference on Wednesday.

“If the law enforcement agencies do not fish out the murderers of our colleague at the expiration of one week, the whole states in South-South zone of NMA will down tools,” the association said.