Posted on: Fri 26-06-2020

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to immediately stop what it described as “Wanton wasting’ of lives of pharmacists across the country even as it demanded justice for pharmacists killed in the last five years in their line of duty. In a press statement tagged “IGP: Please Stop the Wanton Wasting of the Lives of Pharmacists” and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Pharm. Ijeoma Okey-Ewuru, PSN demanded the immediate investigation into the recent killing of late Pharm Sunday Ike in Abuja and the need to bring the perpetrators to book.  

According to them, “The PSN with a great sense of loss and deep pain demands a stop to the gruesome murder of pharmacists in the line of duty and swift unravelling of those behind the murder of her member, Late Pharm Sunday C. Ike who was shot on the head in his pharmacy at 3rd Avenue Gwarimpa in Abuja on 19th June 2020.  “Late Ike is just one in the harvest of murders within 5 years. Late Pharm Austin Chukwurah (Rivers State), Pharm Ternenge Labe (Benue State), and Pharm Anthony Mgbii (Akwa Ibom State) also met their untimely deaths at the line of duty,” they stated.

Continuing, PSN further said the IGP should immediately take up and strengthen the investigation already initiated by the FCT Police Command as the earlier killings cited were equally incident at the respective state police commands but no culprit has been brought to justice to date. “Sir, we urge you to please find the killers of Pharm Sunday Ike and bring them to justice.”  

They also demanded that the IGP should as a matter of urgency instruct the state Commissioners of Police to set up special patrol/surveillance to community pharmacies to ensure the safety of Pharmacists and other health workers who have suffered immeasurable hardship in the hands of these undesirable elements. Noting that Nigeria cannot afford the retreat of pharmacists on the frontline especially now that the war against COVID-19 pandemic was yet to be won, they further noted that Community Pharmacists are frontline health care workers providing pharmaceutical care and responsibility for the provision of essential medicines, chronic disease, and drug therapy management to Nigerians in their respective communities. “They strive daily to keep Nigeria safe and healthy but in the end, some criminal elements in the community they served, turned cruel and snuffed life out of them in their prime.  

“Could it be money that would keep a pharmacist away from his home and family at such times these evil men cash on? The answer is no, but the sense of duty. Pharmacies are supposed to offer 24hours service but for the insecurity in our country. If data were available it will be amazing how many lives that are lost because pharmacies are closed at some point in the day,” PSN stated. They added that pharmacists provide over 60 percent of primary care in the community and need to be protected if they will continue to do a good job of quality pharmaceutical care.

Source: Vanguard

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