Alvan Ikoku crisis: 2 lecturers attacked

www.odogwublog.com reports that the crises rocking the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education,Owerri, in Imo state has taken a new twist as two lecturers were attacked when they tried to stop a faction of Joint Action Committee from conducting first semester examinations while the school is on strike.

The lecturers are Elvis Opara, the chapter Chairman of the Senior Staff Union in the colleges of Education in Nigeria and Steven Duru, who are both members of a committee set up by JAC to ensure that no examination holds until the protesting lecturers call off the industrial action. 

The lecturers had downed tools over allegations that the acting Provost of the institution ,Dan Anyanwu had overstayed his acting capacity, and was demanding for the appointment of a substantive provost of the citadel of learning.

Further, they demanded that it was unconstitutional for the acting Provost to contest for the substantive position while still in office, alleging that he would unduly manipulate the process.

Sources told odogwublog.com that a faction supporting the acting Provost also posited that there was no known law against an acting Provost seeking to clinch the substantive Provost of the college.

According to them, the Minister of Education has in a letter addressed to the School stated that the acting Provost can remain in office while he seeks to become a substantive Provost.

On his part, one of the assaulted Lecturers, Mr Opara told newsmen that his only crime was to be a member of the JAC committee mandated to ensure that sanity and order were maintained while the strike lasted.

He alleged that hoodlums imported into the School attacked him and his colleague as they tried to ensure that examination held as agreed by the unions.

Opara said about 15 hoodlums attacked them saying "They used bottles, stones and other sharp objects to attack us, and blood was gushing. It was our colleagues who scampered us to safety that rushed us to the hospital. The security operatives in the school could not do much to save us from them. I was discharged the next day but Duru spent three days in the hospital", he lamented. 

However, another lecturer who gave his name as Emeka Obi said though he was not in support of the strike, said no hoodlum attacked the lecturers.

According to him, irate students who took offense that the victims entered their examination hall and tore scripts and other lecturers attacked the victims and not hoodlums.

Meanwhile, Imo State Police Public Relations Officer,Andrew Enwerem (SP) said no lecturer of Alvan Ikoku federal College of Education reported any case of attack by hoodlums to the police, saying "There is no such case on our record. No case of attack on lecturers of Alvan Ikoku Federal college of Education, Owerri by hoodlums was reported to us" Enwerem maintained. 

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Opara after the alleged attack