FCE Akoka Crisis: Registrar Abducted by Unknown Gunmen in Lagos

The leadership crisis at the Federal College of Education, Technical, Akoka, Lagos, took a drastic turn early Thursday morning when unidentified gunmen abducted the Deputy Registrar, Mr. Chris Olamiju, from his official residence.

Olamiju is one of the staff members, both academic and non-academic, who have been protesting the continued tenure of Provost Dr. Wahab Azeez for about five weeks.

Sources at the college reported that the gunmen forcibly entered Olamiju’s staff quarters around 3 a.m., breaking down the doors and taking him to an unknown location. It is suspected that the gunmen might be operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

An anonymous source said, “The staff of FCET, Akoka have been peacefully protesting for five weeks due to allegations of administrative and financial misconduct against the Provost. Early this morning, Mr. Chris Olamiju, a Deputy Registrar and prominent protest leader, was brutally assaulted and abducted from his residence by gunmen believed to be DSS operatives. His family members were also assaulted, and documents, phones, and laptops were taken.”

The Concerned Workers of FCET, Akoka, released a statement urging the Director-General of DSS and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene for Olamiju’s immediate release. They warned that failure to do so would result in a full-blown strike, potentially spreading to other Federal and State Colleges of Education in Nigeria.

Since May 27, the college has been in turmoil due to disagreements over the expiration of Provost Azeez’s tenure. Appointed in May 2019 for a four-year term and reappointed in May 2023, Azeez is now facing demands for his departure following a new law signed by President Bola Tinubu, limiting provosts’ tenure to a single five-year term. The workers argue that Azeez’s term began in 2019 and should end, while Azeez contends that the new law does not apply to him. The Governing Council of the college is currently addressing this issue and the related allegations.