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The security personnel at the University of Abuja, following directives from the authorities, have reportedly detained several journalists and cameramen working for Channels Television.
Naija News learnt that the journalists were assaulted and their equipment also damaged on Tuesday morning amidst a developing situation involving the university administration’s efforts to install Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Aisha Maikudi, as the permanent Vice-Chancellor of the institution.
According to reports, a critical Senate meeting was convened for 9 am on Tuesday, during which the Governing Council aimed to replace Senate members who had opposed the endorsement of Maikudi’s appointment.
However, the event ended with some dramas as confirmed to newsmen by an eyewitness.
“UNIABUJA arrested Channels TV crew and damaged their cameras just few minutes ago,” SaharaReporters quoted a source saying.
The media platform claimed to have reported in November that a group of concerned academics from the University of Abuja, represented by their legal counsel, Muiz Banire & Associates, submitted a petition to Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa, the Minister of Education.
This petition addressed alleged irregularities in the ongoing selection process for the university’s substantive Vice-Chancellor.
The petition, which was also sent to President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, emphasized the necessity for the minister to uphold the guidelines for Vice-Chancellor appointments, specifically stating that the appointee must be a professor with a minimum of ten years of experience.
Dated November 22, 2024, the petition supported a report by SaharaReporters regarding attempts to favour the acting Vice-Chancellor in the selection process.
The petition asserted that the governing council had systematically violated the rules and regulations governing the institution’s operations over the years.
In October, it was reported that the university’s Governing Council was trying to impose Prof. Maikudi, the acting Vice-Chancellor, as the permanent Vice-Chancellor.
Subsequently, Maikudi expressed concerns regarding the governance of the University of Abuja in a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, which was sent through the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) on November 6, 2024.
The acting vice-chancellor claimed that various actions implemented under the leadership of the Chairman of Council, Air Vice Marshal Saddiq Isma’ila Kaita (retd.), “could significantly undermine the good governance, stability, and advancement of the University of Abuja.”
