The Deputy Registrar of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos, Mr Chris Olamiju, has been reportedly taken into custody by the Department of State Services.
Olamiju led the protest embarked upon by members of staff of the institution, insisting on the end of the tenure of the Provost of the college, Dr Ademola Azeez.
A statement made available to The PUNCH on Thursday, titled, “S.O.S. on the distress message of Thursday, 11th July 2024 on DSS invasion of FCET, Akoka Senior Staff Quarters,” said Olamiju was abducted by DSS officials around 3.00 am on Thursday.
It added that his wife, children, and other family members were assaulted during the invasion, saying his documents, phones, and laptops, were also carted away.
The institution had been in crisis over a reported tenure elongation for Dr Azeez.
On May 27, staff members began protests against the tenure elongation, arguing that the prolonged stay in office violated the Governing Act of Federal Colleges nationwide.
During the protest in May, the aggrieved workers locked up Azeez’s office, stating that his tenure ended on May 26, 2024, following Section 13, Subsections 7a and b of the new Act signed by President Bola Tinubu.
The provost, however, said he was appointed for the first term of four years in 2019 and was duly reappointed by the institution’s governing council in 2023.
He said he commenced his second term on May 27, 2023, before the amended Act was signed into law on June 12, 2023.
The PUNCH reports that the Minister of State for Education, Dr Tanko Sununu, asked Azeez to resume his official duties.
At a reconciliation meeting between the provost and representatives of protesting workers of FCE(T) in Abuja, the report said the pact resolved that the key to the provost’s office should be released to the Chairman of the newly inaugurated governing council of the college.
Announcing the arrest of Olamiju by the DSS, the statement said, “A very disturbing report was sent out around 3:00 am of today, Thursday, 11th July 2024 that a Deputy Registrar and one of the prominent leaders of the protest actions, Mr Chris Olamiju, was violently brutalised and abducted from his residence at FCET, Akoka Senior Staff Quarters, Yaba, Lagos, in a Gestapo-style operation by operatives of DSS.”
“The generality of Staff of FCET have been on peaceful protests for the past five weeks. The peaceful protests are the sequel to multiple grievous allegations of administrative and financial infractions against the Provost (Dr Wahab Ademola Azeez).
“We hereby call on the DG of DSS and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene and ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Chris Olamiju.
“Failure to heed this clarion call will lead to workers of FCET, Akoka, embarking on full-blown strike, which may spread to other federal and state Colleges of Education in Nigeria.”
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