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Workers at the Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology (ABSCOHMAT), Aba on Wednesday shut the school’s gate against the rector of the institute; Professor Chidi Ezeama, preventing him from leaving the school premises until their 10 months arrears of salary was paid.
Prof Ezeama was held hostage for over two hours by the protesting workers until a detachment of policemen from both the Aba Central Police (CPS) and their Ndiegoro counterparts led by the Divisional Officer in-charge of Ndiegoro, Oganyi Emeka forcefully gained entry into the institution after they scaled through the institution’s fence to open the gate which had been locked by the workers.
Students who had come to the school for their clearance and lectures were equally locked inside the school while a good number of them were outside the gate.
The atmosphere became charged when policemen after waiting for a long time in front of the school gate, used one of the buses that they came with to obstruct vehicular and human movement on Mosque road where the school is located.
Attempts by the police officers to enter the school premises after opening the gate met the worker’s resistance, but the police at the orders of the Ndiegoro DPO fired several warning shots into the air and teargas canisters into the school.
The situation however caused pandemonium in the area as students and traders of the popular Nsulu and Ahia Ohuru scamper for their safety when the sound of the gun rented the air and the teargas saturating the air, causing them to run in different directions.
A woman suspected to be an asthmatic person who after inhaling the teargas, collapsed and was panting for breathe, but was whisked away to an unknown destination by some good Samaritans that came to her rescues.
The leadership of the institution’s workers union under the aegis of Joint Action Committee (JAC) was said to have demanded for the payment of their 10 months arrears of salary.
However, instead of addressing the issue, one of the workers who pleaded anonymity said the rector suspended one Peter Nwosu a member of JAC from office.
This our source said infuriated the workers and they on Wednesday, locked down the institution as they embarked on protest, demanding the lifting of the suspension of their colleague and payment of their salary arrears.
The workers locked the main entrance to the institution from within thereby preventing movement in and out of the College and holding the rector hostage in the process.
It was gathered that the rector had to invite the police to come for his rescue.
On arrival, the police contingent could not gain access into the institution as the major entrance was under lock and key and they had to scale the fence to get into the school premises.
When the police later gained access into the institution, they started throwing tear gas canisters and gun shoots could be heard from afar and people scampered for safety. It was not clear whether anybody was injured in the melee that ensued.
People who came to the institution to transact one business or the other were caught in the web of the brouhaha.
It was learnt that after ferrying the rector out of the institution, the police returned to arrest 15 members of staff of the institution who the rector believed were instrumental to the protest.
The unionists were reportedly taken to the Area command where they were asked to make statement and later released on bail.
