By; Buhari B. Bello, Jos.
Mr John Agams, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos has alleged threat to his life, family and two others by unknown SSANU officials.
The two others also allegedly threatened are the university’s Deputy Registrar, Mr Alex Ugaseh, who is on sabbatical leave and Mrs Rhoda Lar, a Principal Assistant Registrar.
Agams, who raised the alarm of the alleged threat during a chat with newsmen in Jos, accused SSANU officials of sending such life threatening text messages to him and two others.
“Even though I don’t know who sent the messages, I have the phone numbers.
“As we talk, I am on my way to report this development to our Vice Chancellor and thereafter report it to the DSS and Police Command for my safety and that of my family.
“Am afraid of what the senders of those text messages to me may want to do to me and my innocent family members as indicated in the text messages,” he said.
The text messages, which were shown to Journalist read; “your ill advise to PLASU management has manifested openly, shamelessly. You proclaimed how you betrayed a comrade to death in your chapter!’’
“Should anything happen to our chairman, you will pay the price. Listen closely, your misuse of PLASU’s name to propagate falsehood has angered us. Don’t expose your family to danger, ’’ the text messages read.
PLASU had suspended Messrs Timnan Rimdap and Dusu Sambo, the interim chairman and secretary of the local branch of SSANU, for three months, in letters signed by its Registrar, Amos Mallo, and dated Jan. 27.
Rimdap is the head of the ICT unit, while Sambo is a staff of the academic planning unit.
The letters had hinged the suspension on managements dissatisfaction with the duo’s responses to queries that bordered on indiscipline and union matters.
Various communications on the issues culminated in the suspension of the officials, who were barred from entering the school unless permitted by the Vice Chancellor, Registrar or Chief Security Officer.
Miffed by the suspension of its members, SSANU’s national headquarters, in a letter dated March 1, 2017 and signed by its National President, Mr Samson Ugwoke, demanded “an unconditional withdrawal of the suspension letters”.
SSANU, however, issued a 2-week ultimatum to PLASU to withdraw the suspension of its officials in the institution
It also demanded that the officials be immediately recalled to their duty posts, and “an end to the intimidation and harassment the duo had suffered over time”.
SSANU also asked the school to commence the deduction and remittance of check-off dues of members, in line with the Trade Unions Act, 2005 as amended.
The union accused the management of being “confrontational to the association”, and particularly wondered why it had refused to allow the union to operate freely.
It also wondered why the management should insist on re-registering SSANU in the school, pointing out that such function was exclusively the duty of the Registrar of Trade Unions in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
SSANU described the suspension of the officials over their involvement in the union’s activities as “illegal and simply unacceptable”.
Contacted, SSANU’s Vice President, North, Mr Solomon Alfa, denied knowledge of such test messages describing it as “very dangerous and uncalled for in our fight for our suspended officials in that institution”.
“We don’t believe in cheapening out and am sure none of SSANU official will go that low to send such a threat text messages over that issue we have been trying to address amicably.
“In fact, we are happy that the text messages came with phone numbers which could be traced to the senders; let it not be a concocted story aimed at giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
“Hope it is not a distraction because right now SSANU Chapters’ chairmen and secretaries are at Federal University Kashiri, Gombe for a meeting ,” he argued.