₦airaland Forum

The embattled Vice Chancellor of Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Professor Haruna Kaita, who is currently under suspension by its Governing Council for various corruption allegations got what he did not bargain for when he returned to the University campus on Friday, June 2, 2017.
Apparently spurred by a purported court judgment restraining the Council from proceeding with its investigations of allegations against him, Professor Kaita along with a convoy of strange people believed to be hired thugs forced their way into the campus with the sole purpose of returning him (Kaita) to his seat.
Several witnesses to the event reported that his entry was received by protests from students who confronted the convoy and barricaded the Senate Building in order to prevent him from gaining entry. But in a show of force, Professor Kaita and his thugs initially overpowered the students, broke keys and door locks and eventually made his way into the Vice Chancellor’s Office. Before this point, the Ag Vice Chancellor, Professor Armayau Bichi and his Registrar had been advised to leave their offices for safe location in order to prevent potential bloody clash. Reports further has it that the students later regrouped and in greater number moved into the area and succeeded in chasing Professor Kaita and his men out of the campus. As the convoy hurriedly made its way out shouts of ‘we don’t want Kaita’ rented the air by students who started throwing stones and pellets at the fast escaping Professor.

A massive plot designed to shield the suspended Vice Chancellor of Federal University Dutsinma, Professor Haruna Kaita from prosecution and cover up his alleged embezzlement and misappropriation of hundreds of millions of Naira is currently underway.

At the centre of this is the Minister of Education who is believed to have succumbed, against his wish, to high profile pressures from some powerful people in Katsina to overturn the decision of the University’s Governing Council to investigate allegations of corruption leveled against the Vice Chancellor.

It would be recalled that following several petitions bothering on corrupt enrichment, infraction of due process, inflation of contracts and several acts of nepotism written against the Vice Chancellor, the Governing Council at its meeting of 11-13th April 2017 suspended the Vice Chancellor from Office to pave way for a thorough and unhindered investigations in to the claims.

The Minister’s plot is reportedly being spearheaded by a so-called reconciliation team headed by the NUC Secretary and has the Vice Chancellor of ABU and Director of Information at NUC as members. The plan is to convoke a reconciliatory meeting of Council members, who are said to be under tremendous pressure, at the Minister’s Office in Abuja on Monday 08/05/2017. If things worked out according to the plot, a decision would be reached to lift the VC’s suspension, recall him back to office and terminate the investigation process that is already underway.

But in a rare display of courage and credibility the Chairman of the University's Governing Council, Dr. (Mrs) Marrilya Zayyan has reportedly threatened to resign her appointment if justice was not done by letting Professor Haruna Keita go free without conducting thorough investigations into his alleged malpractices.

For an administration that prides itself on ‘war against corruption’ this would not only be a major blow but also an unnecessary embarrassment to its crusade especially given the fact that the President comes from the State that hosts the Federal University. One observer has declared that there can hardly be any greater demonstration of hypocrisy in the President’s anti-corruption efforts if this turned out to be a reality.