BY FESTUS AHON

UGHELLI—ACADEMIC Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Delta State University, Abraka branch, has called on the state government and security agents to ensure the unconditional release of one of its members, Mrs. Enajite Ojaruega, abducted by kidnappers.

Mrs. Ojaruega, a lecturer in the Department of English and Literary Studies, was on her way to Abraka on May 19, 2014 when she was ambushed and kidnapped at gun point near Eku, Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state.

ASUU, in a statement by its Chairman, Professor Abel Diakparomre and Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ufuophu-Biri, condemned the incessant harassment and kidnap of its members, lamenting that “the way things are at present, the lectures are in danger and the guarantee of their safety is in serious doubt.”

The statement notified government and the public of a standing action principle of “ASUU national” regarding the kidnap of its members, saying: “Further delay in the release of Mrs. Ojaruega would compel the branch to activate this principle which will not be in the interest of the society.

“We must state that it is extremely sacrilegious to temper with an academic anywhere in the world. When a Harvard lecturer was harassed by policemen a few years ago, it caused serious uproar in the United States and across the world.

“The matter was formally settled in the White House by President Barrack Obama. But this is usually not the case in Nigeria and especially in Delta State, where professors have often been kidnapped like the way hawks pick chicks. Kidnappers now deal with academics the way a wanton child deals with grasshoppers.

“All over the world, lecturers are held in the highest esteem. They form the basis for societal and national development. To tamper with them is to tamper with the destiny of the society and the nation. Thus, the kidnap and harassment of lecturers must stop immediately.”

The branch urged the Delta State Government and security agents to provide a conducive atmosphere devoid of insecurity in Abraka and environs to enable the institution’s workers function excellently and fearlessly.