University lecturers threaten to protest abduction of colleague

Lecturers of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, have threatened to down tools and take to the streets to protest the kidnap on Thursday of one of the lecturers of the university, Dr. Adokie Kalio, by unknown gunmen.

Up until the time of this report, the whereabouts of the lecturer was still unknown and the abductors had not contacted his family or the university authority to make demands or state the conditions for his release.

The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education branch, Dr. Ugochukwu Ake, who confirmed the abduction to newsmen in Port Harcourt

said the lecturer was abducted around 12:00 noon.

Dr. Ake said: “We will not fold our hands and watch while our colleague remains abducted. If nothing is done between now and the weekend, we will meet with the congress of the university to take the appropriate measures.”

The chairman also said that the members of the university might be forced to go onto the streets to protest if the abducted lecturer was not released soon.

He continued: “We are appealing to the government of Rivers State, the security agencies to redouble their efforts and ensure that our abducted colleague is released.”

He also appealed to the general public with useful information that would lead to the rescue of the abducted lecturer to help the security agencies “to help us to search and rescue our colleague who has been in captivity in for two days”.

Amaka Agbu, Port Harcourt