UNIABUJA
Security men assault Channels TV crew during Uniabuja protest
Security operatives harassed a Channels Television crew covering a protest at the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) on Tuesday morning.
The crew members were assaulted, detained for over an hour, and had their vehicle vandalized by the school’s security personnel.
Channels Television reported the incident, which occurred while the journalists were documenting a protest by professors at the university over the selection process for a new vice-chancellor.
In a video shared on Channels TV’s X page, a journalist is heard confronting the security operatives, saying, “You are vandalising my car! I am a journalist. Keep vandalising it. I don’t even have a phone or my camera.”
The protest stemmed from concerns among some academic staff about the process of appointing a new vice-chancellor to replace Abdul Rasheed Na’Allah, who stepped down in July.
Reports indicate that the university’s governing council intended to appoint Professor Aisha Maikudi, the Acting Vice-Chancellor, as the substantive VC. However, the protesters argued that Maikudi did not meet the advertised criteria for the position.
The concerned staff, citing irregularities in the selection process, petitioned the Minister of Education, Morufu Olatunji Alausa, in November. The petition alleged that the governing council had deliberately violated the rules governing the university’s affairs.