Lecturers, staffs and studentsof Kogi state polythechnic Live in Fear

Kogi state polythechnic

Despite repeated assurances of a cult-free institution by the rector of the Kogi State Polytechnic, Professor Matthew Ajibero, the events of past weeks has thrown lecturers, staff and students into perpetual fear.

The polytechnic lecturers are now at their wits end either to do the right thing by marking correctly the examination scripts, or to do the students bidding by lowering standards as those who dared to give carry over to ill prepared students are being battered, harassed and intimidated. The bitter experience of Mr Thompson Abutu, a lecturer in the Department of English, was instructional to other lecturers who have continued to live in fear of who the next casualty will be.

According to a source who spoke to LEADERSHIP on condition of anonymity, he noted that on that fateful day, 7th April, 2013, a gang of four persons believed to be cult members stormed the university brandishing dangerous weapons and beating up a lecturer to a state of coma for allegedly giving carry over to one of the students.

The incident which rattled the polytechnic community occurred when a lecturer in English who was at the time of the incident, supervising an examination was mercilessly beaten to a pulp.

The source added that the gang was a female and three males who pretended to be students of the institution writing the second semester's examination. They came behind and simultaneously landed punches at the lecturer when they identified him as Mr Thomson Abutu. He fell down and was tied with a rope before being pulled on the floor of the class.

According to the source, the lecturer who was already in pains from the punches, shouted for help even as the students writing the examination scampered for safety.

He added that the incident took everybody unawares. "Initially we thought it was an armed bandit that arrived the school and so we decided to run for cover.

If not for some courageous students and the school security personnel who acted swiftly, they would have whisked him away," he said.

A student who witnessed the incident and simply identified as Pope, said the action of the gang was an ominous signal to the polytechnic that after all, there are many bad boys in the school. He advised the school authority to take punitive measures to avert the spillover effect as the actions of the gang have put the polytechnic community into perpetual fear .

A lecturer in the same department who does not want his name in print for fear of students, said they have been trying to maintain standards.

He noted that from the sitting arrangement in the examination hall, they normally spaced the students which accounts for high rate of mass failures in general papers, "if we are to strictly follow what they wrote, more than half of them will be shown the way out. In fact, it was so bad that many of them cannot write their names and yet they want to pass," he lamented.

The rector, Professor Matthew Ajibero, told LEADERSHIP that the polytechnic operates strict rules and regulations to guide the conduct of both students and staff with dire consequences of its breach.

He warned against examination malpractices, drug addiction, fighting, theft, rape and above all, cultism, saying they will not only be expelled but handed over to law enforcement agencies for prosecution.

LEADERSHIP learnt that the girl at the centre of the crisis alleged that her refusal to accept the advances of the lecturer was what earned her the carry over.

She further alleged that the lecturer was her good friend and they have been exchanging text messages, saying all her entreaties to have a change of mind failed, prompting her to pay him in his coin.

But in a sharp reaction, the lecturer described the allegation as a lie from the pit of hell and denying ever having anything to do with her.

He added that there are ample opportunities for a student who is harassed sexually to seek redress by laying complaint to the school authority which will set up a committee of enquiry rather than taking laws into her hand.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP, the public relations officer of the institution, Mr Tijani Yakubu, said the incident was a poor handling of a situation by the student in question.

He said a female outgoing ND student who was given a carry over by the lecturer who insisted that she follows due process called in her father and two of her siblings to beat up the lecturer right in the examination hall.

According to him, the three suspects were not students of the college except the female member as the issue of cultists invading the school does not arise.

Yakubu stated that the suspects have been arrested by the school security personel and they have been handed over to the police for further investigations.

He however warned parents to follow due process on issues concerning their children and wards and stressed that the school will take appropriate sanctions after the completion of investigations.

The police public relations officer of the state command, DSP Romanus Nwaneire comfirmed the incident saying after thorough investigation, the matter will be charged to court.