NOA, Red Cross Launch Campaign Against Delayed Emergency Treatment of Gunshot Victims

NOA, Red Cross Launch Campaign Against Delayed Emergency Treatment of Gunshot Victims

The National Orientation Agency (NOA), in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has launched a nationwide public enlightenment campaign to promote immediate medical treatment for gunshot victims and prevent avoidable deaths arising from delays in emergency care.

The campaign, tagged “Treat First. Save Lives.”, is designed to raise awareness of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Wounds Act, 2017, and address misconceptions surrounding the responsibilities of hospitals, security agencies and members of the public in handling gunshot emergencies.

The initiative was inaugurated on Thursday in Abuja by the NOA Director-General, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Health and Social Care, Dr Ayoola Olufemi.

Issa-Onilu said misconceptions, fear of police procedures and uncertainty over hospital responsibilities had continued to prevent some gunshot victims from receiving timely medical attention.

He stressed that the 2017 Act mandates public and private hospitals to provide immediate and adequate treatment to gunshot victims, irrespective of whether a police report was available.

He added that healthcare providers, security agencies and members of the public shared the responsibility of ensuring that injured persons received prompt medical assistance.

The NOA director-general urged Nigerians to assist gunshot victims in accessing medical facilities rather than allowing misinformation or fear of legal procedures to discourage them from offering help.

He disclosed that the agency would deploy radio jingles, audiovisual materials, digital platforms and other public enlightenment channels to disseminate the campaign’s messages nationwide.

According to him, the communication materials have been produced in English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin to ensure wider reach and understanding.

He also called on media organisations, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups and security agencies to support the campaign and promote compliance with the law.

Representing the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, the Commissioner of Police in charge of Legal Services, Aremu Silas, described the initiative as timely, noting that the treatment of gunshot victims was not merely a medical responsibility but also a fundamental human rights and public safety concern.

Silas said Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, guaranteed the right to life, while the 2017 Act established clear obligations for medical facilities to provide emergency treatment without waiting for police clearance.

He said the Nigeria Police Force had consistently directed its officers not to harass, delay or deny gunshot victims medical attention because of police procedures.

He reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to enforcing the law and collaborating with healthcare professionals, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to prevent avoidable deaths.

According to him, the campaign also aligns with the Police Force’s commitment to professionalism, community partnership and respect for human rights under Section 4 of the Police Act, 2020.

In his remarks, the Deputy Head of Delegation of the ICRC commended the NOA for leading the initiative, describing access to life-saving medical treatment without unnecessary delays as a critical humanitarian priority.

He said gunshot injuries constituted medical emergencies requiring immediate attention, warning that fear, uncertainty and inadequate public awareness could prevent victims from receiving the care they urgently needed.

He emphasised that although Nigeria had an existing legal framework for protecting gunshot victims, its provisions needed to be better understood and translated into practical action by relevant institutions and the general public.

Also speaking, the ICRC Humanitarian Affairs Adviser on Protection of Healthcare, Ms Juliet Unubi, said the campaign was developed to clarify the provisions of the law and the responsibilities of different stakeholders.

She disclosed that a 2021 study conducted by the ICRC in collaboration with the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors Research Collaboration Network identified significant gaps in awareness of the law among healthcare workers and police officers.

The study involved approximately 900 healthcare workers and 1,200 police officers across Borno, Plateau, Kaduna, Abia, Rivers and Oyo states. It also included interviews with 24 hospital chief executives and 24 divisional police officers.

Unubi explained that the findings informed the development of the campaign, which seeks to address delays caused by uncertainty over police procedures, demands for initial financial deposits and inadequate understanding of legal obligations.

She said the communication package included posters, flyers, radio jingles, an audio drama, animation and institutional endorsement videos from the Inspector-General of Police and the NOA director-general.

Clarifying the provisions of the 2017 Act, Unubi said public and private hospitals were required to receive gunshot victims and provide immediate and adequate treatment, irrespective of police clearance.

She added that individuals, including security personnel, were legally required to assist injured persons and facilitate their transportation to the nearest hospital for immediate medical attention.

She further explained that hospitals were required to notify the nearest police station within two hours of receiving a gunshot victim, while the police were expected to investigate reported cases without making prior clearance a condition for emergency treatment.

According to her, the law also prohibits the police from inviting gunshot victims for questioning until the Chief Medical Director of the hospital certifies that they are medically fit.

Unubi clarified that the law’s notification requirement did not authorise hospitals to delay treatment pending police clearance, nor did it make all subsequent medical treatment automatically free.

She expressed optimism that the partnership between NOA and ICRC would improve public understanding of the law, strengthen institutional cooperation and reduce preventable deaths resulting from delays in accessing emergency medical care.

By PRNigeria