Following the gruesome murder of Miss Elozino Ogege, a 300level Mass Communication of Delta State Univeristy, Abraka by yahoo boys, two human right groups in collaboration with Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) young wing have demanded for the disengagement of Deo Gratas, a private security firm from which the university security personnel who introduced the murdered student to the yahoo boys was hired.
The human right groups include Committee for the Defense of Human Rights and Conference for the Actualisation of Human Rights in collaboration with UPU youth wing having studied the situation surrounding the murder of the student made the joint the demand for the dissolution of the personnel from the security firm.
Although the groups have no outright grouse against the security outfit, seeing that the security personnel who acted as link man between the student and the yahoo boys is from the firm, it became imperative to disengage the services of the firm from the university seeing their dealings are mainly with members of the community.
In a statement signed and made available to Emeraldng.com by Efemena Umukoro, the secretary of the UPU youth wing, the groups said the resolve to call for the disengagement of the security outfit from the campus three axis of the university was predicated on the murder of Elozino Ogege.
But Umukoro, in the statement, said management of the university seemed not disposed to the call for the disengagement of the security personnel, rather he said the institution is sponsoring campaign of calumny against the UPU youth wing secretary and downplaying the crime against the institution and the Abraka community.
The groups have also proposed a protest following the unwillingness of the university to disengage the security firm, just as he faulted the unholy campaign of the institution against him as if the call for the disengagement of the security personnel was a personal decision made by him as an individual.
The statement noted that the three bodies have exhausted all avenues of peaceful dialogue with the management of the institution, adding that the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Victor Peretomode, is not being sincere with the process but has continued to apply tactics that have failed to address the issues on ground.
Umukoro alleged that Professor Peretomode wrote a petition against him though with a wrong name which he said failed to address the issue.
He said: “Sadly, after his failure to use the police to harass him, a professor of high repute has settled for the use of thugs to disrupt the peaceful protest which would end up in futility.”
Following the issues raised, the groups made the following demands:
“The peaceful protest is in furtherance of our demand for the disengagement of Deo Gratas company as a result of the various criminalities happening in the campus unchecked and the death of Elozino, a 300level student of the institution.
“That the Abraka Oruarivie kingdom is fully in support of the protest and all necessary organs of the palace is in direct communication with the UPU youth wing.
“That the protest was not initiated by the Secretary of UPU Youth wing worldwide comrade Kelly Umukoro but by the above mentioned Unions
“That it was the sole advice and directive from the secretary that enable DELSU management to have the courage of going to Irri to visit the family after the school management complained of fear of possible attack if they go to visit the family immediately, an advice which they carried out and was successful.
“That a legal action would be instituted against DELSU management if they continue to assassinate the personality of Comrade Kelly Umukoro by using agents associated directly or indirectly with the school management.
“That Comrade Kelly Efemena Umukoro is a peaceful and law abiding citizen of Delta state and number three citizen of Urhobo youths, hence would not engage with the management of DELSU in any form of media rascality but would use legal process to channel any grievance arising thereto.”