Over 20 lecturers kidnapped from DELSU...Report

In the last two years, over 20 lecturers have been abducted from the Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka, Delta State.  Dr. Emmanuel Mordi, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Delta State told Vanguard that lecturers were particularly disturbed, as educators are not millionaires, but the gunmen keep attacking them.  Foremost and perhaps more disturbing of the kidnaping cases is ias the kidnap of a lecturer of Department of Science Education, Dr. (Mrs.) Mercy Mokobia, from her nuptial home in Obiaruku, since April 9 without trace by the Police. The demanded ransom had been paid, yet Dr. Makobia was yet to be released.  The Vice-chancellor, Professor Eric Arubayi, recently told Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, that the university was under siege.  He said: “Lecturers have their hearts in their mouths because we do not know who will be kidnapped next and nobody is comfortable doing his work here.  “As a matter of fact, the academic staff of DELSU are demanding the release of their colleague; we are going to embark on a fresh strike after the current nationwide strike action to protest the failure of the police to secure her release”.  “We are not safe here if some gunmen can come to the home of our colleague and kidnap her and for almost five months, the police have no answer to her whereabouts, that is our plight, we are lecturers, we are not politicians, our duty is to teach students and do research, why are kidnappers after us”.  “Academics are not money bags but law abiding, knowledgeable citizens who sacrifice day and night, all their comfort to impact knowledge and skills to Nigerian youths so as to equip them to become useful members of the society who can perpetuate human civilization”.  Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, told Vanguard that he understands the plight of the lecturers and like any other kidnap case; the police were not sleeping on the matter.  ASUU chairman, Dr. Mordi, who urged the gangsters to release the woman and for the Obiaruku community to take more than a passing interest in the matter since Mokobia was living in the community prior to her kidnap, insisted the Police should produce the lecturer, dead or alive.  “Each time we ask the Commissioner of Police about our colleague, he tells us he is not a magician. The Commissioner came to visit ASUU when we were about to embark on strike some time ago, they made some arrest quite all right, but we still do not know where our member is, for about five months now. His best is not enough”, Dr. Mordi added.