It would be recalled that some lecturers and students of the institution were kidnapped recently by unknown persons and later released.
Some of the protesters carried placards with the inscriptions: ‘Governor A. A Sule save us from terrorists’, ‘Save lives of university lecturers. Overhaul the security apparatus in Keffi for us to be secured’, ‘The lives of lecturers matter. Let the lecturers breathe’, among others.
Speaking shortly after the protest, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, National President, ASUU condemned the kidnapping which he described as pathetic and called on relevant authorities to put in place necessary steps to avert future occurrence.
“It’s a pathetic situation. We are calling on the government, the Vice Chancellor and Management of the institution to rise up to their responsibilities and ensure people are safe in this university,” he said.
He commended the ASUU branch for organising the peaceful protest which he said was necessary to notify relevant authorities of the displeasure of the union over the recent incidents.
“I commend this branch for this protest and I want to assure you that we will also take action over this ugly development,” he added.
Also speaking, Prof. Samuel Alu, Chairman, ASUU NSUK Branch, described the incessant kidnappings of members of the union and some students as a pill too bitter to swallow hence the decision by an emergency congress of the branch’s union to organise a peaceful protest.
“We are here to register our displeasure because within the last three weeks, several of our members have been kidnapped.
"We find it difficult to understand why this incident will happen consistently without any form of condemnation on the part of government or military,” he said.
He explained that aside from the peaceful protest, the branch’s emergency congress also resolved that Governor Abdullahi Sule should rise to the occasion in addressing the insecurity challenges that has bedeviled NSUK.
“Our members are living in perpetual fear and are threatened because nobody knows who is next. They are being improvised and made to pay ransom and nobody has to come to our aid.
“We are putting on notice that we cannot accept this kind of ugly incident on our members to continue without being abated. Students have also been captured and ransoms have been paid.
“The fear is if this continues, Nasarawa State will soon cease to exist because of fear, people will have to leave because of their safety before talking of education.
“So, we are calling on the Commissioner of Police Nasarawa State Command to rise to the occasion. What is happening is totally unacceptable to ASUU NSUK Branch and ASUU generally,” he said.
