Whereabouts of two Abia varsity lecturers uncertain – ASUU

The whereabouts of two lecturers of Abia State University and others in Nigeria robbed and kidnapped on Thursday by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen on ABSU-Isuikwuato Road in still unknown.

The victims are Professor S.O. Eze of the Department of Industrial Chemistry, a Methodist minister, and Professor Chris Afulike of the Department of Mass Communications, who were travelling in their separate cars.

The chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, Victor Nkemdirim, who broke the news said the incident took place at about 6.00 p.m. after the two lecturers ran into the gunmen as they were robbing a vehicle.

Nkemdirim said after the robbery, the gunmen ordered everyone to lie down and then took the two professors and some others away.

“As of the time of this report, the Toyota Camry belonging to Professor Afulike had been recovered with his phone left inside the vehicle.

“The whereabouts of the victims remained unknown. The ABSU ASUU boss said the families of the lecturers had confirmed the incident and the university management had stepped into the matter.

“ASUU national body has been contacted through ASUU Calabar zone, while the university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Onyemachi Maxwell Ogbulu, has moved into the matter and necessary security agencies have also been contacted,” he said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, said the command had begun an investigation into the incident.