The Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu on Wednesday said it would punish any of its non-teaching staff involved in the molestation of two officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on the school campus, as claimed by the examination body.
The Polytechnic spokesman said in Lagos that the institution and the Lagos State Government were already addressing the issue, while the police had begun investigation into the matter.
Recall that JAMB had alleged that two of its officials were nearly set ablaze at LASPOTECH on March 29.
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB registrar, made the disclosure when the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, visited some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Abuja during the mock examination.
Oloyede said that the officials were attacked at the centre of the mock examination in the institution, and would have been set ablaze, but for a quick intervention that saved them from the attempted jungle justice.
READ ALSO:INEC presents certificate of return to Kano state governor-elect, others
He said the reason for the dastardly attack had yet to be ascertained, even as the two officials had been taken to the hospital.
Kuye, while confirming that the institution’s authorities was aware of the incident, apologised to the board and assured the JAMB Registrar that the perpetrators would be brought to book.
“We are aware of the ugly incident of molestation of two JAMB officials and the polytechnic’s Director of ICT who were on official assignment at the institution’s Ikorodu campus, by some of our non-teaching staff.
“While the polytechnic condemns this act of barbarism, we are using this medium to assure the JAMB registrar, and indeed the entire Nigerians, that the police is on top of the matter.
“We therefore deeply apologise to Prof. Oloyede and the attacked officials for this unwarranted assault on innocent staff by the members of the non-teaching staff of the polytechnic,” Kuye said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the workers have denied the allegation by JAMB, saying it was untrue.
Mr Abiodun Awoyemi, Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), LASPOTECH chapter said the protesting unions only walked the Polytechnic’s Director of ICT and the two JAMB officials out of the campus.
Awoyemi said the officials were escorted out of the campus in full glare of many, including the police, because non-academic activities had been paralysed since January 20, due to an ongoing strike by the union.
READ ALSO:Kolade Johnson: Buhari frowns at SARS, promises prosecution of perpetrators
“It was one of our union members at ICT that escorted the Director and the JAMB officials out and even our communication with the JAMB coordinator in Lagos reveals that there was nothing like that.
“The same JAMB official alleged to be molested and hospitalised are the same people that conducted the mock examination at another centre in Ikorodu on Monday,” he said.
NAN also reports that members of Non-Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (NASUP) and SSANIP, LASPOTECH Chapter had since January 20 embarked on an indefinite strike and continuous protest to demand reversal of an alleged de-migration of their salary structure by the institution management.
The unions alleged that the Polytechnic Rector had de-migrated its workers’ salary structure from the CONTISS 15 migration against the Deputy Governor’s pronouncement and Court’s directive. (NAN)