Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday marched round the streets of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, to protest the kidnap of its members by unknown gunmen in the state.
The protest which started at the gate of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) took them to the Ewi’s Palace and terminated at the Governor’s Office.
The placard-carrying protesters made up of ASUU members from Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, moved round the town, drawing the attention of the public to seizure of its members.
Some of their placards read “ASUU Demands Unconditional Release of Our Members,” “Governor Fayose, We Are Not Safe Please,” “Kidnapping is a Crime Against Humanity,” “Ensure Safety of Lives and Property in Ekiti State,” “Enough of Kidnapping in Ekiti State,” and “Governor Fayose, Please Save our Souls,” among others.
The protest was led by EKSU ASUU Chairman, Prof. Olufayo Olu-Olu, OAU ASUU Chairman, Dr. Caleb Aborisade and Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) ASUU Chairman, Dr. Bola Oniya.
An ASUU member at EKSU, Dr. Folashade Alade, was one of the three women kidnapped last Friday along Ifisin-Igbole Road while on their way to a wedding ceremony.
The EKSU Branch of ASUU has given the state government till May 22 to secure the release of their members in kidnappers’ den or face an indefinite strike action.
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The university teachers said the incessant abduction of their members is no longer acceptable with the kidnappers demanding ransom of N70 million for each of the three victims still in their captivity.
ASUU members still in captivity are Dr. Alade, Dr. Kikelomo Adegun both of EKSU and Dr. Femi Omisore of OAU.
Offering explanation on the protest, Prof. Olu-Olu condemned the kidnappers’ clampdown on university lecturers and medical workers, saying the situation should not be allowed to continue.
He expressed the fear that the state was gradually sliding into anarchy, adding that varsity teachers who are being owed three months salaries by state government cannot raise N210 million to pay ransom on three dons in captivity.
