INJUSTICE METED TO ME, MR ZOE SOLOMON TAMUNOTONYE, LECTURER DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION BY THE MANAGEMENT OF CAPTAIN ELECHI AMADI POLYTECHNIC RUMUOLA PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE NIGERIA AND COVER UP BY THE NIGERIA POLICE AND DEMAND FOR JUSTICE.
It all started in May 2021, when I dismissed Miss Blessing Audu Lucky who was on internship placement in my ZOETAMS organization out of misconduct and disobedient to constituted authority in the organization. ZOETAMS ORGANIZATION is a registered Non-governmental organization established with the aim of rendering humanitarian services to widows, vulnerable youths and a means to bridging the gap in the formal educational sector by mentoring and coaching teens and youths to pursue academic excellence, discipline, capacity, courage and character for leadership responsibility and Nation Building.
Consequent upon her dismissal, she stole our office properties such as office keys, office phone, POS machine and money in her custody. All efforts to reach her to get back the items was to no avail.
Coincidentally, she was a student of Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic Rumuola where I’m also a lecturer, although we are in different departments. So I reported the matter to the Chief Security Officer of the Polytechnic, who made initial efforts to recover the stolen items but his efforts too were also frustrated by Miss Blessing who was not willing to return the stolen items. It was against this background, that he stated that, THE MATTER WASN’T A SCHOOL MATTER SINCE MY TRANSACTION WITH MISS BLESSING WAS DONE OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL PREMISES. He further advised me to go to the police station and report the matter.
I didn’t buy into the idea of going to the police initially. Thus, I decided to trace her to her residence with the address she applied for the job. To my greatest surprise, she applied with a fake address as I discovered she wasn’t a resident at the said address. As a result, I approached the CDC official of the community and he put a call across to her but when she noticed it was from me, she ended the call and never picked up again.
There and then, I went straight to the police station and reported a case of stealing. The police invited her several times on phone but she refused to honour the invitation. Rather she kept sending unknown persons to threaten me.
Finally, in December 2021, the police apprehended her. Consequent upon her arrest, the mother, advised by some of my colleagues at the polytechnic, went to the media and claimed I arrested her daughter because she refused my marriage proposal.
The immediate passed kind hearted commissioner of Police, (CP) Rivers State command now Assistant Inspector General of Police, (AIG) Zone 16 MR Friday Eboka heard the news and invited me and Miss Blessing Audu to his office through the DPO of Sani Abacha, police station, another kind police officer where I reported the case. At the commissioner’s office the following occurred:
- We both narrated our sides of the story, after which the commissioner asked Miss Blessing Audu: YOUNG GIRL DO YOU HAVE ANY AFFAIR OR SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS MAN?
Her response: GOD FORBID! - Then the commissioner inquired why she was holding back to the organization’s properties.
- The Commissioner then asked the DPO to take us back, and asked her to release all the Organization’s properties in her custody. He pleaded with me to let go of the money but the other things can be returned. He further advised that in future I should be careful when employing people.
So the DPO took us back to Sani Abacha police station, where Miss Blessing Audu released stolen items(POS michine, Tecno phone and passwords) and signed an undertaking to return the POS money bag and office rechargeable lamb which were still in her possession. I took the released items and left.
I accepted the Commissioner’s resolution partly because he displayed a fatherly disposition and most importantly, the Deputy Rector Academics of my Polytechnic, Dr Moses Neebee had earlier called and pleaded with me to forgive the girl. He said that from his investigation with the CSO of the Polytechnic, the girl was wrong to have stole my organization properties and that he has spoken with her parents to come and apologize to me. But right now I want that case to be properly investigated and suspect charged to court.
One week later, my Polytechnic went to the media with the caption of SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF A FEMALE STUDENT . They further suspended me, stopped my salary and set up a committee to investigate me through some press release in the media.
Five months after the committee finished it’s investigation, the Polytechnic management refused to release the findings of the committee’s report, instead they lifted the suspension placed on me and asked me to resume work with an apology letter to the management.This request by management in my understanding, didn’t reflect the procedures and laws establishing the Polytechnic with reference to such grievous offense as sexual harassment. So I resumed work but refused to tender an apology letter as requested because for me I have not committed any offence to render an apology letter.
Consequently, the management of the Polytechnic has continuously withheld my salaries till date. It was against this backdrop, that I engaged the services of a human rights lawyer Barr. Higher King (0803 553 5589) to seek redress in a court of law.
However, on the 16th of December 2022, I went to the Polytechnic in response to a text message I received to come to the Polytechnic to receive a Christmas package. On reaching the administration building where the distribution was taking place, I met one Mr Victor Okere (0816 005 2439), a non-staff but personal Assistant to the Rector Dr Sam B Kalagbor (0803 340 0295) who was calling out names of academic staff who queued before him for collection of 10 kilo bag of rice. When it got to my turn, he angrily asked me to leave the line, that my name was not on the list. I responded to him that I received a text message to that effect, but he got angry the more and by this time, one Miss Salina Sunday George (0703 500 7363), an admin officer in the registrar’s office came and inquired to see the message I claimed to have received. I brought out my phone from my pocket and showed her the text message and before I could say another word, Mr Victor bounced on me with blows, and Miss Salina Sunday and Mr Martins Okwu (0803 262 8098) joined him in beating me, claiming I’m recording them on my phone. Which I actually did to have evidence of what happened. All my efforts to plead with them to spear my life proved abortive. They continued beating me, pinned me to the ground almost choking me to death like late Mr George Floyd of America. I continued to resist until Mr Victor Okere the ring leader threatened to kill me if I don’t let go off the phones. At the end they collected my 2 phones comprising of two Tecno Spark5 costing #94, 000 and Spark8C costing #97. 000 phones.They also damaged my HP laptop worth 550, 000, containing all my academic works of over 15years including chapter 1-3 of my PhD thesis, research proposal and contract engagement documents with PROJECT HOPE INTERNATIONAL worth a monthly #150, 000 consultancy fees totaling 9 million naira for 5years duration, an academic text book manuscripts I’m still writing, etc.
Consequent upon the incident and advised of my lawyer, Barr Higher King, Human Rights Advocate, I immediately reported the case of assault, stealing, armed robbery and malicious damage at the Rumuprikom Kala police station, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on that same 16th of December 2022. On Monday the 19th of December 2022, the DCO and IPO took me to see the DPO, KALA POLICE STATION CSP JAMES NDIBE NWOSU who can be reached on his mobile phone number: 0816 415 7476 to explain myself which I did and the DPO, CSP JAMES NDIBE NWOSU immediately ordered the DCO and IPO to effect arrest and charge the matter to court. I was asked to come to the police station on Tuesday, the 20th of December, 2022 to join the IPO as a pointer to go and serve a letter of invitation and possibly arrest the suspects who are well known. After serving the letter of invitation on the suspects through the office of the Polytechnic CSO signed by the DPO, CSP JAMES NDIBE NWOSU, I was asked to come back on Thursday, 22nd December 2022.
POLICE COVER UP
By Thursday, 22nd December, 2022 when I and my lawyer went to see the DPO, CSP JAMES NDIBE NWOSU for feedback, the DPO said I should go and see the Rector, Dr Sam B. Kalagbor and that the Rector called him on phone and they spoke at length and he will advice that I go and resolve the issue with the Rector. An advice my lawyer turned down immediately. By Friday, 23rd December, 2022 when we (my lawyer and I) went again, we saw one of the suspect Mr Victor Okere brought Christmas package from the rector to the DPO, CSP JAMES NDIBE NWOSU. The DCO then asked me to identify the suspect which I did and she ordered for his arrest. The suspect walked into the DPO’s office and started making calls, then whispered to the DPO’s hears and then the DPO, CSP JAMES NDIBE countered the orders of the DCO that Mr Victor Okere should not be arrested. The DPO, CSP JAMES NDIBE NWOSU even escorted the suspect to the Polytechnic vehicle the suspect came in with. I and my lawyer left the station frustrated. Later that Friday, 23rd December, 2022 evening, I was called by my IPO to come and collect my phone. When I got to the station, the DPO ordered a representative of the Polytechnic CSO who brought the phone to hand over my phones to me but when he did, he gave me only one of my phones, the Spark8C and the Spark5 wasn’t returned. When we (myself and the IPO) powered the spark8C phone that was returned and opened it at the instance of the IPO, we discovered that the security lock (pattern) on the phone has been cracked, my phone opened and vital information deleted and removed. Especially information and recordings partaining to the case in court. I also saw information that were not mine on my phone. All the recordings including the ones I recorded on that Friday, 16th of December 2022, the day of the incident were deleted. The IPO consequently asked me to make additional statement touching on the tampering of my phone which I did and the IPO released the phone to me on bond.
MY DEMANDS
This COVER UP by the DPO KALA POLICE DIVISION, CSP JAMES NDIBE NWOSU is unprofessional and unacceptable to me. I am not against the police receiving Christmas gifts and hampers from individuals and corporate bodies like my school, CAPTAIN ELECHI AMADI POLYTECHNIC, PORT HARCOURT RIVERS STATE, but it should not prevent the police from doing their job, otherwise the society will be doomed. I too give Christmas gifts and hampers to the police. After all, Christmas period is a period to show love. However, does it means that ones any criminal gives Christmas gifts and hampers to the police, the criminal becomes above the law? A case of assault, stealing, armed robbery and malicious damage reported to the police since Friday, 16th December 2022 till Day 1st of January, 2023, no arrest has been made. The suspect after being declared wanted, later goes to the same police station, gives Christmas gifts and hampers to the police, walks away without any statement. Presently, Mr. Victor Okere who is not even a staff of the ELECHI AMADI POLYTECHNIC but personal staff of the Rector, Dr Sam B Kalagbo humiliates and assaults a lecturer boasting that nothing will happen and indeed nothing has happened. This is the hight of lawlessness. I am calling on PRESIDENT MUHAMMAD BUHARI, GOVERNOR N.E. WIKE OF RIVERS STATE, INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, THE AIG ZONE 16, AND THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, RIVERS STATE to come to my rescue. I am equally calling on the ELECHI AMADI ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF POLYTECHNIC ASUP to step in, because after dealing with me today, it could be your turn tomorrow. I am also calling on well meaning Nigerians, human rights activists, Bishop Hassan Kuka, Barr Higher King, Human Rights Advocate, Civil Society Organizations and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) etc to step in, I am dieing of hunger. This injustice is too much for me to bear. Let the culprits who are moving freely be apprehended, investigated and be charged to court. My other phone is still with Mr. Victor Okere and his cohorts probably still trying to destroy information and put things to indict me. Presently, I am traumatized, the Rector of ELECHI AMADI POLYTECHNIC, RIVERS STATE have held my salaries for one year now without justification. He unilaterally suspended me in January, 2022 without any indictment. Lifted the suspension after the so called panel of investigation found me not guilty. Yet held my salaries till date and that has not deterred me from doing my job. I know that the GOVERNOR OF RIVERS STATE has been paying my salaries, yet the Rector, Dr Sam B. Kalagbo held it.
This is how my journey of injustice has been. Please help me Happy prosperous New year. Mr. ZOE SOLOMON Tamunotonye (07030811060), Lecturer, Department of Public Administration, CAPTAIN ELECHI AMADI POLYTECHNIC RIVERS STATE
