Sacked Kogi Lecturers Robbed Of Certificates, On Journey For Re-Screening Exercise

Lecturers and other employees of the Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa, who were recently declared ‘ghost workers’ by the Staff Audit Committee of the state government as they were dispossessed of their original certificates by armed men.

The lecturers were on their way to Lokoja to appeal their sack with the 32-member Staff Screening Complaints/Appeal Committee set up by the state government to entertain complaints arising from the staff audit when they were waylaid by armed men in Ankpa Local Council, Ojogobi.

The Zonal Chairman, Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria, North Central Zone, Adaji Abraham Attai told The Guardian the workers were going for another round of screening.

“They were asked to come to Lokoja for their re-screening so they set out very early in the morning so as to arrive Lokoja in good time to meet with the appeal committee.
“Unfortunately, they ran into armed bandits, who stopped them at the outskirts of Ankpa, close to Ojogobi.” He said those affected were academic and non-academic staff of the College.

According to him, other vehicles on sighting the incidence from far turned back to avoid being robbed. Attai said the affected vehicle was conveying mostly women, adding that the robbers collected their bags and escaped into the bush with the hope of getting money.

“Unfortunately, many of them had their certificates in their bags. That was how they were made away with the certificates. “Fortunately a day after, the vigilance group later discovered some of the certificates and the bags in the bush during a search. He explained that the bandits were disappointed that the victims did not have much money on them and so they decided to abandon the bags in the bush.

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