Rights group says medical trips abroad are a national security risk

The state of Nigeria's health care infrastructure has forced the nation's leaders, including the president, to embark on frequent foreign trips, a situation which poses a threat to the national security, a human rights organization said on Thursday.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, in a press statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said, "The frequent medical trips abroad by political office holders from Nigeria could undermine Nigeria's national security since the foreign citizens treating these high profile public officials from Nigeria in their medical facilities could divulge vital information to some foreign adversaries of Nigeria and thereby undermining Nigeria's sovereignty as an independent country in the international community".

The group's position comes days after aides to Mr. Yar'adua said on Monday the he had travelled to Saudi Arabia to seek medical treatment for an ailment which was, yesterday, disclosed by the president's doctor as acute pericardtis.

The president's trip kicked up a new round of speculation about his health and recovery which have in the recent weeks drawn concerns.

The human rights group said it spoke against the backdrop of the frequent trips to Saudi Arabia by the president and noted that health care facilities across the country, especially in the rural areas of the country, have "collapsed" leading to the death of citizens from seemingly curable diseases.