The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, University of Benin, UNIBEN, the chapter has stated that the death in an accident of one of its members, Stella Okotie, at the university’s Ugbowo Campus main gate, along the Benin-Lagos expressway, was avoidable.
It blamed the unprofessional conduct of police officers on duty at a checkpoint along the ever busy road and the indiscipline of a commercial bus driver for the pathetic incident.
UNIBEN’s ASUU, on Saturday, August 1, 2020, in an online statement by its Chairman, Monday Omoregie, and the Secretary, Fabian Amaechina, described as quite unfortunate, the untimely death of the female lecturer.
It expressed sadness over the don’s death in the road traffic accident, which it insisted could have been prevented, if the policemen had acted professionally.
ASUU said: “We hereby call on the relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter, with a view to bringing those culpable to book.
“This is necessary in order to avoid needless deaths on our roads, strengthen discipline among road users and let the police better know their responsibilities to the society and the limits of their powers, as law enforcement officers.”
The union also called on government to take up the hospital bill of the sales boy, whose legs were badly damaged and currently lying critically ill and helpless in an undisclosed hospital.
Source: The Nation
