Law enforcement officers in Imo State detained several representatives from the Imo State University branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities. The arrests occurred shortly after the union members appeared on a local radio broadcast on Tuesday to explain their recently initiated indefinite strike.
Those taken into custody included the branch Chairman, Stephen Oguji, alongside other union leadership. The strike action began on Monday as a protest against the government’s failure to honor agreements concerning academic staff welfare and service terms, which the union asserts should extend to state institutions.
An insider at the university confirmed that while the officials were unreachable immediately after the broadcast, they were eventually released following a period of interrogation. The university community remains defiant, stating that such actions will not discourage their cause. Meanwhile, DSP Henry Okoye, the state police spokesperson, has not provided a comment on the situation. The timing of the strike, coinciding with upcoming examinations, has caused significant anxiety among the student body regarding potential delays to the academic year.
