*State NLC Shuts Secretariat, Demands Probe
*Oborevwori Dispatches SSG To Calm Angry Workers
*Investigation Will Be Made Public, Aniagwu Assures
*Police Assure Family Of Justice, Arrest Commissioner’s Aide, Hunt Two Others
TROUBLE looms in Delta State, especially for another commissioner, barely three days after Governor Sheriff Oborevwori recalled the suspended Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Reuben Izeze, over link to a violent assault on an aide of the governor, Simon Mudiaga, also known as Temple.
This time, another commissioner’s fate hangs in the balance, following news of the death of a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Secondary Education, identified as Unity Adeda.
The commissioner has been accused of ordering his Police Orderly and driver to manhandle the Director, following a heated altercation, leading to his subsequent death.
Adeda reportedly died in hospital, a day after an alleged confrontation at the secretariat.
The assault allegation was yet to be proven and circumstances surrounding the incident and Adeda’s death in the hospital remained unclear at press time.
Following news of Adeda’s death, workers, especially civil servants in the state, under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Friday, September 25, shut the major government offices, bringing official activities to a halt, locking the entrances to the Prof Chike Edozien Secretariat, demanding an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The workers also demanded state government’s guarantee that they could carry out their duties without fear before returning to work.
Delta State NLC Chairman, Goodluck Ofobruku, expressed the union’s worry about the safety of workers, vowing to engage the state government on the matter, as well as seek an amicable resolution, insisting that the workers need assurances that they were safe before returning to their duties.
Ofobruku said the workers would resume on Monday, September 28, only if the government addressed their concerns, but would remain at home if no satisfactory assurances were received.
He stated: “We must assure workers that they are safe in their places of work. And whoever is responsible for this beating that led to his untimely death must be brought to book before we come back.”
Also speaking, Chairman of the Joint Civil Service Negotiating Council (JCSNC), Benson Efeotor, said the council was making efforts to establish what happened, adding that he had visited the affected ministry and sought information about Adeda, who he said worked at the Science Centre.
Efeotor appealled to the workers to remain calm and avoid violence or destruction of government property, while discussions with government continued.
Worried by the development, Oborevwori dispatched the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Kingsley Emu, to the secretariat on Mariam Babangida Road to calm the angry workers.
However, Emu’s plea fell on deaf ears, as the protesting workers shut the entire secretariat complex.
Meanwhile, Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, assured the workers that the government would make public the findings of any investigation into the matter.
Aniagwu said the immediate priority was to establish what happened and determine the actual cause of Adeda’s death through appropriate investigation and medical examination.
He stated: “There are different conjectures as to what may have led to the death of our brother, who passed in the hospital.
“Perhaps an autopsy would be able to establish, what transpired, and indeed, medical examination will determine the cause of death.”
Aniagwu assured the workers that the findings would be made known and necessary action would be taken based on the outcome, adding: “I can assure you that nothing is going to be swept under the carpet.
“It will be known what happened and then the necessary action will be taken.”
He called for restraint and appealled to remain calm, commending the labour leaders for conducting the protest peacefully, stressing that every human life was important and deserved protection, regardless of the person’s position or relationship with others.
Meanwhile, the state Police Command said it was “aware of reports surrounding Adeda’s, following an incident at the office of the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Kingsley Ashibogwu,” and has ‘also taken note of allegations suggesting that Adeda was beaten by aides to the commissioner, identified as Enos Attah, Oputa Okestine and Lucky Adoh.”
A statement by its spokesman, Bright Edafe (SP) explained that upon receipt of the complaints, the Command immediately swung into action and arrested Adoh, while a manhunt for Okestine and Attah was ongoing.
It stated that the state Commissioner of Police (CP), Samuel E. Erale, had ordered the Command’s Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to carry out a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident and subsequent death of the deceased.According to the statement:
“The investigation will examine all available evidence, including relevant video footages, eyewitness accounts, medical records and the actions of all persons connected with the incident, to establish the facts and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice in accordance with the law.”
The CP assures the family of the deceased, concerned citizens and members of the public that the Command will neither shield nor spare anyone found culpable, irrespective of status or position.
“He further assures that the investigation will be conducted professionally, transparently and without interference, while urging the public to remain calm and refrain from concluding until the facts surrounding the incident are fully established.,” the statement said.
It added that Erale extended his condolences to the family of the deceased, assuring them that justice will be pursued diligently and without fear or favour.
