ASUU Union Leader Abducted Following Court Order for Reinstatement
The abduction occurred at around 2 a.m. on Saturday and culminated in Adeyemi being transported to Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. The allegation behind this shocking incident was that Adeyemi had purportedly arranged a plot to assassinate the university's Vice Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina
AKACHI NOEL 
Dr. Ezekiel Adeyemi, a prominent leader of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the Federal University of Technology, Oye Ekiti, was forcibly taken from his residence in Lagos State. The abduction occurred at around 2 a.m. on Saturday and culminated in Adeyemi being transported to Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. The allegation behind this shocking incident was that Adeyemi had purportedly arranged a plot to assassinate the university's Vice Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina.
This distressing turn of events followed a recent decision by the Court of Appeal, Akure Division in Ondo State. The court had dismissed an appeal by the university and ordered Adeyemi's reinstatement by the institution.However, a source familiar with the matter explained, "In an attempt to thwart Dr. Adeyemi from resuming his duties, the University filed an appeal at the Supreme Court. Since the Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction in labor matters, Dr. Adeyemi has taken the University's counsel to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for filing the frivolous appeal."
Adeyemi, a lecturer in the Department of Demography and Social Statistics, had previously been dismissed by the university in 2017 due to his involvement in ASUU. He contested his termination at the National Industrial Court in Akure, Ondo State's capital. The court ruled in favor of Adeyemi on November 12, 2019, invalidating his dismissal and instructing the university's governing council to reverse the action promptly. The presiding judge, Justice O.O Oyewumi, also mandated the institution's management to pay all his owed entitlements dating back to the day of his termination.
Despite this judgment, the university pursued a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, Ondo State, seeking a reversal of the decision. The university's appeal, which included a request to dismiss Adeyemi's relief for reinstatement, was recently dismissed by the Court of Appeal due to a lack of diligent prosecution.
Recommend For You : From Waste Collector to Harvard Law School Graduate: Rehan Staton's Inspirational Journey to Academic Excellence
Reacting to the abduction, Femi Falana, Adeyemi's counsel, called for his immediate release, expressing concern over the practice of nocturnal invasions of suspects' homes. Falana declared, "I demand the immediate release of Dr. Adeyemi, who has consistently relied on the law to challenge the repeated violations of his rights. In an era of kidnappings, nocturnal arrests are entirely inappropriate. I will protest to police authorities to cease nocturnal invasions of suspects' homes."
