Workers at the Delta State Secretariat in Asaba on Friday shut down the complex following the death of a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda.
The development sparked a protest by civil servants who gathered at the Prof. Chike Edosien Secretariat along Mariam Babangida Way, demanding an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
Politics Nigeria gathered that the protest came amid allegations that Adeda was assaulted at the ministry before he was rushed to hospital, where he later died.
The circumstances leading to the incident remain disputed, with conflicting accounts emerging from those connected to the matter.
The protesters demanded the arrest and investigation of the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu, his driver, Amos Atah, his police orderly, Celestine Opute, and another individual identified as David.
They also called on Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the Inspector-General of Police and the Delta State Commissioner of Police to intervene in the matter.
The workers accused the officials of having a role in the incident and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.
The protest caused a disruption of official activities at the state secretariat as workers expressed anger over the death of their colleague.
The deceased was a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. The ministry’s official management page currently lists Ashibogwu as the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, with the ministry operating from its secretariat in Asaba.
Adeda’s death reportedly followed an altercation at the ministry on Thursday.
A family member of the deceased said the family was yet to receive a full account of what happened before his death.
She said, “Though, as we talk, we have not been briefed about what actually led to his beating to death. I was not there but that was the information at our disposal. Even the video of the incident is currently with the director of examinations in the state.”
A staff member of the ministry also gave an account of what colleagues were told about the incident.
The staff member said, “Though, I was not there when the incident happened, but what we heard was that, the commissioner asked Mr. Unity, if he knows him, he replied he doesn’t know him, the commissioner then ordered his police and driver to beat him up and he was mercilessly beaten by the commissioner, his police orderly and driver and he fell into coma before he was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, (FMC) Asaba and later died.”
The staff member further claimed that the disagreement had started between Adeda and the Director of Examinations before the commissioner was contacted.
According to the account, Adeda had recently been redeployed from the ministry’s field office in Isoko South Local Government Area.
The staff member said, “The deceased had an issue with the director of exams and the director called in the commissioner. As the commissioner came, instead of handling the issue in a mature way, he ordered the beating of the deceased.”
The source also alleged that Adeda was not immediately taken to hospital after the incident.
“Sadly, after beating him, rather than taking him to the hospital for treatment, the commissioner ordered that he be detained again. The video of everything that happened is with the director of exams,” the source said.
The allegations have not been independently established, and the commissioner has rejected the account that he ordered anyone to assault the deceased.
Ashibogwu said he went to the ministry after receiving a distress call from the Director of Examinations concerning an alleged disturbance.
He said, “I only got a distress call from my director of exams that there is man attacking them and threatening to kill anyone that comes his way. I rushed down to the scene and saw the man.”
The commissioner said he attempted to establish what was happening when he encountered Adeda.
He said, “I asked if he knows me but he said he does not need to me, saying he will kill anyone that comes his way. I have not met him once, apart from one time he was accused of extortion and I called to caution him. At that point, he became violent and began to attack me. I was left with wounds.”
Ashibogwu denied ordering Adeda to be beaten and also denied taking part in any assault against him.
“I never ordered anybody to attack or beat him. I am not a violent person. I can’t lie against a dead body, God bears me witness,” Ashibogwu said.
The two accounts have not been independently reconciled.
The protest also drew the attention of the Secretary to the Delta State Government, Kingsley Emu, who visited the secretariat during the demonstration.
Emu reportedly appealed to the protesting workers to return to their offices, saying that the state government was already handling the matter.
The appeal, however, did not immediately end the agitation as labour leaders insisted that the government must take steps to establish what happened to Adeda.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no independent confirmation of the contents of the alleged video.
There was also no confirmed police account establishing whether suspects had been arrested or whether a formal investigation had commenced.
The Delta State Government had not publicly released a detailed statement addressing the allegations against the commissioner as of press time.
