Our attention was brought to the vandalized armoured cables of the generator supplying power to some departments of the Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa.
This vandalism has kept the college in darkness thereby frustrating the various departmental activities in the college. The college Security Unit was reported to have been informed of the attempt to vandalise the items earlier but nothing was done to avert its eventual vandalism.
However, we are happy that some efforts are being made to get to the roots of the matter.
While we applaud the efforts of the college management, we are quick to say that every suspect is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
In other words, every suspect or indicted person(s) must be given opportunity to defend himself or herself before any authority or committee investigating the allegations.
That is to say, where a person is indicted or fingered as a possible suspect by another, he should be given opportunity to give explanations and where necessary, be allowed to put questions to the person who is alleging him to have committed the act or omission, leading to the alleged theft.
From information available to us, even when after one Senusi Abdul discovered an attempted theft of the armoured cable and reported same to the Chief Security Officer(CSO), of the college, nothing was done. Again, when the armoured cables were stolen and reported to the CSO, by the same Senusi, nothing was done.
Our source also informed us that one Obinna (a former Youth corp Member) who served in the Electrical unit of Works Department of the College continue to hover around the college premises, after his service year over two years ago, to the knowledge of management, especially the Ag. Registrar and Deputy Provost who first and foremost continued to patronise him to work in the college without the knowledge of the Director of Works.
This trend later gave impetus to other departmental head/staff of patronizing the former corper and nothing was done about it.
This same former corper is now alleging against some staff of the college of having hands in the theft without him even making such report to the security department or the provost of the college until now.
The former corper alleged that the armoured cable could only be moved by not less than four (4) people and he is at the same time alleging that only a particular staff (Senusi Abdul) was the person who moved the cable on his motorbike to the vehicle of the Director of Works, standing very far from the venue of the theft . How could that have been possible? Yet, he did not alert either the school security officials, the school Management/authority or anybody for that matter until he was called for questioning. We think that there is more to what happened than what he told the authority.
It’s our position that no person should be victimized but ensure that due process is followed throughout the period of investigation.
Those persons, whose names were mentioned by the former Corper (Obinna) must be given fair hearing.
The former Corper should be made to explain his continuous presence in the college after his service year over two years ago and on whose authority he remained.
The former Corper must also explain why he did not raise alarm when he discovered that Senusi Abdul and the Director of Works were stealing the armoured cables.
Again, he has an explanation to show or identify the people or machines that were used to move the heavy armoured cable from their locations.
This is because we do not believe his story. He is only trying to pervert justice with the aid of some management members who have been encouraging his continuous presence in the college. This is unacceptable to us as a people.
We insist that the right thing be done and not to witch-hunt some particular set of persons for the sole purpose of replacing them with their own preferred candidates/persons.
WE CALL ON THE PROVOST TO BE PROACTIVE IN THIS MATTER TO ENSURE JUSTICE TO ALL CONCERNED
Signed.
Hilary Okpetu Hassan
Chairman, Ankpa Elites For Justice.
Maimunatu Opeluwa Joy, Secretary, Ankpa Elites For Justice.
Copy:
Commissioner, Public
Complaints Commission, Kogi State.
Comr. Amza Aliyu.
Chairman, Kogi State Network For Civil Society.
