TELL Magazine

The crisis rocking the University of Benin, (UNIBEN) Ugbowo, Edo State, has taken a new twist as the local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Monday issued management of the university a strike notice over the Thursday April 12 bloody attack on its members by the Students Union Government, SUG.

The lecturers alerted that when academic activities would resume on April 28, they may not be in the classroom’s consequent upon an attempted murder of one of their own, Dr. Presley Osemwengie, a lecturer in the Department of Economics.

Recall that violence broke out when the executive members of the Students Union Government, (SUG) led by their president, King Lemuel, stormed the Senior Staff Club venue of the union’s interactive session with the Edo State Labour Party, LP, governorship candidate, Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, to query why the event should hold without their knowledge,

In a statement signed by its chairman and secretary, Ray Chikogu, and Success Abusomwan, respectively, and made available to journalists in Benin, ASUU said Dr. Presley Osemwengie was attacked, hit at the back of his head with a small axe, and left for dead in the pool of his own blood by some of those in the company of the student’s union president. The union condemned what it described as “the rebellious and terrorising acts of brigandage”, being carried out by the university’s students.

The lecturers said it was “impossible” to continue to dispose themselves to teaching and research in an environment in which lecturers were prime targets for brutalisation or elimination by some students they are labouring to impact with the wealth of their intellectual property following attack on her member. They therefore called on the university’s authorities to provide adequate security for staff of the University and create an atmosphere conducive for effective teaching and learning on the campuses.

The statement reads in part:

“We are constrained to issue this statement on the basis of the spate of violence and general atmosphere of insecurity that has pervaded the Ugbowo campus of the University of Benin of late. This culminated in the attempted murder of Dr. Presley Osemwengie, a lecturer in the Department of Economics and member of the University of Benin Branch of ASUU, by some members of the Executive Committee of the University of Benin Students Union led by their President and some ex- as well as non-students at the University on Friday the 12th of April 2024.

“On that fateful day, the President of the Students Union of the University of Benin marched upon a gathering of staff of the University and their invited guests, ordering them to discontinue their interaction as he was not pre-informed and consequently, did not grant permission for the interaction to be held.

“In the resulting melee, Dr. Presley Osemwengie was attacked; hit in the back of his head with a small axe and left for dead in the pool of his own blood by some of those in the company of the students’ union president. It is necessary to note that this worrisome trend began with the assault by both students and non-students of the University on the person of the current Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin in September 2021 when she was humiliated and marched from her residence to the Main Gate of the University in very hostile circumstances.

“Other similar and very unsavoury incidents in which students at the University of Benin had threatened and brutalised lecturers, have also been reported at different times. This cannot continue. We wish to now state that it is impossible for our members to hereafter dispose themselves to any teaching and research in an environment in which they are prime targets for brutalisation or elimination by some of the students they are labouring to impact with the wealth of their intellectual property. So, it is incumbent on the administration of the University of Benin to provide adequate security for staff of the University and create an atmosphere conducive for effective teaching and learning on our campuses.

“To the end that our members will feel safe to conduct their business of research, teaching, and supervision going forward from the 28th of April 2024 (being the date of resumption for the next academic session) therefore, and without prejudice to the work of the Committee set up by the University Administration to investigate the incident at stake, we state as follows as encapsulated in the resolutions of the meeting of the Congress of ASUU UNIBEN on Thursday the 18th of April, 2024.

“Our Union condemns in very strong terms, the rebellious and terrorising acts of brigandage being carried out by our students both as individuals and under the cover of student unionism in their entirety”.

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