Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi yesterday demanded the relocation of the former militants’ rehabilitation camp at Aluu, near the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), over reported cases of assault, rape, looting and disruption of academic activities.
During a visit of heads of security agencies in the state to UNIPORT’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Don Baridam, Amaechi wondered why the youths, who ought to have turned a new leaf, unleashed mayhem on the university community, while protesting their unpaid allowances.
Amaechi was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Magnus Abe.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Technologists (NAT) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) continued their strike yesterday over the ex-militants’ action.
When The Nation visited the Abuja, Choba and Delta Park campuses of UNIPORT, academic and non-academic activities remained paralysed. ASUU chairman, Dr. Andrew Efemini, said the strike would continue until the camp is relocated.
Efemini said the lecturers would return to work after government had taken inventory of the losses and paid compensation.
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Bala Hassan, said the command had prosecuted 11 ex-militants arrested over Monday’s violent protest and assault of some members of the university community and its environs.
Hassan spoke while receiving 20 patrol vans with communication gadgets from the government. He said the command would arrest and prosecute any former militant involved in criminal activities to serve as a deterrent to others.
Amaechi said the ex-militants’ activities had defeated the objective of the rehabilitation camp, noting that the facilities at Aluu lacked the capacity to accommodate over 7,000 militants from Rivers and neighbouring states.
He assured the students and workers of their safety, pleading with the striking unions to call off their action.
Amaechi proposed that the ex-militants should be rehabilitated in their states.
Earlier, Prof. Baridam, who called for “immediate relocation of the camp,” described the activities of the former militants as worrisome. He noted that on November 16, some ex-militants invaded the campus, broke into shops, raped no fewer than 12 women, destroyed and looted valuable property and smashed cars’ windshields.
Baridam said: “Since Monday, the university is no more what it used to be.
There is no activity going on because the unions have resolved that they are no longer coming to work.
“I know that you have done enough for this university; I know that your interest here is to respond to our calls, but this time around we are in a complete state of shock.”
Nov202009