No fewer than 60 personalities and groups have criticised the police for allegedly harassing staff and patients at Marie Stopes Specialist Clinic in Lagos.
A chef, Imoteda Aladekemo, via Twitter on Tuesday had raised the alarm about a raid on the clinic, which provides contraception to women, among other family planning services.
Aladekemo had said, “Yesterday (Monday), people marched in Nairobi to shut down Marie Stopes on the basis that they perform abortions. Today, Nigerian police invaded a Marie Stopes clinic in Surulere looking to arrest the doctor and harassing patients who were there.
“One patient was getting blood work and the policeman tried to arrest her saying birth control is abortion! Aside from the obvious danger of such ignorance, clinics like Marie Stopes provide much needed services for women: contraceptives, maternal health services, STDs screenings, scans and lots more.”
Following the incident, several groups and personalities, in a joint statement titled, ‘End the War on Nigerian Women,’ on Wednesday, criticised the treatment of the clinic.
The activists are Education as a Vaccine, Nigerian Feminist Forum, Alliances for Africa, Women’s Crisis Centre, Project Alert on Violence Against Women, Vision Springs Initiative, the Initiative for Equal Rights, Women’s Health and Equal Rights Initiative, Equality Hub, NoMore Campaign, Above Whispers, 9jaFeminsta, and Stand to End Rape.
The statement read in part, “On Tuesday, May 21, police officers raided Marie Stopes Clinic in Lagos, harassed the health workers and patients and took away confidential client information. Marie Stopes has trained staff who offer counselling and treatment, especially to those who cannot afford the costs at private hospitals.
“To raid a centre that provides such services is sending a message to women and girls, as well as men and boys, that they are not safe in health centres and that they don’t deserve access to quality health services.”
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