Television Nigerian

The Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday said that the reported abduction of 12 police officers on an official assignment by gunmen, is being verified.

The officers, who are of the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), were said to be on their way to Zamfara from Borno to conduct a special operation when the kidnappers waylaid them.

The kidnappers were said to have demanded a N10 million ransom.

But the Force Headquarters said that it is making efforts to verify the kidnap claim while the Borno State Police Command denied that any officer was missing from the command.

A BBC report said the abduction took place 12 days ago but came to light yesterday.

A wife of one of the kidnapped officers said she did not hear from her husband for three days and decided to seek further information from a police barracks in Borno where she learnt about the abduction.

She was quoted as saying that her husband later called and asked her to raise ransom money by selling their home.

“He called me on Wednesday and told me that he was in the hands of the kidnappers,” she said.

She stated that her husband told her that if she failed to raise at least N1 million, “there will be trouble.”

She added that a police officer subsequently called her to request that she should raise N800, 000 for his release.

“I can’t tell you that I have any other information. We are in a state of frustration,” she said.

But the Force Headquarters said it is verifying the kidnap claim.

“We are aware but we are trying to verify that the kidnap took place,” Deputy Force Public Relations Officer and Chief Superintendent of Police, Mr Aremu Adeniran, said.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said that there is no hope in sight to suspend its lingering strike due to alleged lack of sincerity by the Federal Government

ASUU, Abuja zonal coordinator Prof. Theophilus Lagi disclosed this at a news conference on Tuesday in Gwagwalada.

The zone comprises the Federal University of Technology, Minna; Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai; Federal University of Lafia, and the University of Abuja.

Lagi said the strike had lingered for several months as the government had yet to show any serious commitment or willingness towards addressing the union’s core demands for students to resume studies.

According to him, members of the union have been advised to seek other legitimate means of survival as the government has not released salaries withheld since February 2020.

“Today, we wish to let Nigerians especially our students and parents know that there is no hope in sight to ending or suspending the ASUU strike that lingered for long.

“Government is yet to show serious commitment towards addressing our core demands.

“One needs not to be a psychologist to understand the behavior and recent utterances of the minister of labour and employment Dr Chris Ngige by showing his disdain for Nigerian academics and has failed to play the role of an unbiased umpire in moderating the imbroglio.

“He has now become the spokesperson to the accountant general of the federation and ministry of finance, instead of finding solution for lecturers to get back to work.

“He is turning the wheel of progress backward by setting ASUU on collision with other pressure groups in the university.

“In the past few weeks for instance, Ngige has said one thing when he met with the Union and a different thing on the same subject in an interview with the media.

“This double character of a minister and a purported negotiator in the face-off should be a source of worry to not only Nigerian students but parents who patronise public universities.

“On this, we will like to educate the honorable minister that public universities in Nigeria are creatures of law as each University is established by an Act enacted by the National Assembly,” he said.

Lagi maintained that in spite of agitations with comprehensive and indefinite strike to compel the federal government to address its core demands, government had not shown any commitment.

He, however, called on the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, payment and mainstreaming of earned academic allowances into salaries, release of funds for revitalisation of the Nigerian university system among others.

The coordinator condemned the event at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) where the authority allegedly invited the military to assist in the conduct of the 2019/2020 first semester examinations.

“Another bizarre turn of events is unfolding at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) where a letter written by the Ag. Registrar, Barr. TM Ikpenwa on 12th November 2020 inviting the 103 Battalion of the Nigerian Army to assist in the organisation and conduct of the 2019/2020 First semester Examinations.

“Such involvement of the military crack team in a normal University function is primitive and height of insult and lack of regard to the Academia in Nigeria.

“The union wishes to call on the authorities at ESUT to refrain from the ugly trend because we do not want a repeat of 1976 in Nigerian universities,” he said.

He described the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as better suited in the University system, as it recognised all agreements entered into between government and university-based trade unions.

Ladi noted that the UTAS platform ensured simultaneous payments of employees’ salaries and third-party deductions like tax, pension, Union dues, cooperatives and bank loans.