Lagos doctors call off strike after police promise

Doctors in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, have called off their strike after assurances from police that they will not be harassed during the Coronavirus curfew.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had ordered their members to stay at home on Tuesday after several cases of harassment, including one in which the police stopped an ambulance that was carrying a patient and detained the health team.

In April Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari announced that all key workers including health professionals would be exempt from an overnight curfew.

The NMA, which says police have often ignored this, has now ordered medics in Lagos to return to work from 18:00 local time on Thursday.

In a statement, it said Lagos Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu’s intervention had helped resolve the matter.