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October 9, 2023
It had been reported that the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, Ondo State, had recently dismissed an appeal by the university and ordered the lecturer cum activist to be reinstated by the institution.
The Federal University of Technology, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has claimed that one of the leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Ezekiel Adeyemi, who was reportedly abducted from his residence in Lagos State, was picked up by security operatives for his “heinous” crime.
SaharaReporters on Saturday reported that Adeyemi was said to have been abducted from his residence in Lagos State at around 2am and driven to Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, on the allegation that he had concluded arrangements to assassinate the university's Vice Chancellor, Prof Abayomi Fasina.
It had been reported that the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, Ondo State, had recently dismissed an appeal by the university and ordered the lecturer cum activist to be reinstated by the institution.
However, reacting to the report, the university in a statement said that “Adeyemi was involved with fraudulent act and financial misappropriation because he collected TETFUND (Tertiary Education Trust Fund) grants running to millions of naira to carry out research and production books which he refused to implement nor refund the sum of money back to the government coffers.
“Therefore, the hands of the law got caught up with him based on this heinous crime.”
On the alleged assassination plot against the Vice Chancellor, the university said that “the life of the Vice-Chancellor is not under any threat of assassination, neither did the Vice-Chancellor petition any police station on threat to his life by any member of staff or anybody whatsoever.”
SaharaReporters had also reported that Adeyemi, who was a claimant at the lower court, was sacked in 2017 in the university, which prompted him to approach the National Industrial Court through renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, to seek redress and he got favourable judgement.
“Dissatisfied with the judgment the University filed a notice of Appeal at the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, Ondo State. The University challenged the judgment and prayed the appellate court for a reversal. The reliefs sought from the Court of Appeal include an order allowing the appellant to appeal the judgement and an order setting aside the lower court’s decision upholding the claimant’s complaints.
The appellant also sought an order dismissing the claimant’s relief that he should be recalled to continue to work as a staff of the university.
“The appeal was recently dismissed by the Court of Appeal due to lack of diligent prosecution by the University.
However, in order to frustrate Dr. Adeyemi from resuming his duties the University filed an appeal at the Supreme Court. Since the Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction in respect of labour matters, Dr. Adeyemi has dragged the University counsel to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for filing the frivolous appeal,” top sources at the university had explained.
Reacting to the abduction, his counsel, Femi Falana, had demanded the immediate release of Adeyemi, saying he would protest to the Nigerian police to stop the culture of nocturnal invasion of the houses of suspects.