By IKECHUKWU ODU, Nsukka

At least 30 staff of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, are being quizzed by the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, of the Nigeria Police Force, Enugu command over theft in Department of Works Service at the Enugu campus of the university.

It was gathered that about N50,000 cash, motor battery, two laptops, and an unspecified quantity of electric cables were stolen from the office without any of the doors or part of the building being broken into.

It was further gathered that the Deputy Director of Works Services at UNEC, one Mr Udechukwu, before going out, had instructed his secretary to leave the office door open because he would return to the office to tidy up his official assignment for the day.

However, when he returned, he was said to have claimed that he discovered that the items listed above were missing.

A security officer of the institution who pleaded for anonymity told Vanguard that the director was not satisfied with the internal investigation done by the university, prompting him to invite the CID for a more thorough interrogation of the suspects.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the Enugu campus of the university, Prof. Edith Nwosu while confirming the incident, said the crime took place in June, but could not specify the exact date or time it occurred.

“Because of the Covid-19 lock-down, staff were not coming to work. So it was difficult for us to determine the exact date when those things were stolen,” she said.

Also, the spokesperson of the Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe while also confirming the crime to Vanguard said officers of the command have already commenced an investigation into the matter. However, some of the relations of the suspects who have been quizzed by the CID at Enugu alleged that they paid N20,000 to secure bail for them.

“My own mother was asked to pay and we went and withdrew N20,000 which was paid to secure her freedom,” said a daughter of one of the female security personnel at UNEC who was among the first batch of UNEC security officials to be quizzed.

Another young man whose mother was equally interrogated said “Even my mother was also interrogated at the CID and later she was asked to pay N20,000 for bail. My mother is one of the security personnel at the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria.”

However, it was gathered that when the DVC got the wind of the exploitation by the CID, he ordered the officers involved to refund the money, questioning “since none of them was indicted, why then should the issue of detention, bail and N20,000 per individual arise?” (Vanguard)

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