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Rivers State House of Assembly investigating financial activities of PAMO University of Medical Sciences (PUMS), Port Harcourt, has threatened to issue warrant of arrest on two commissioners in the state.
The Ad-hoc Committee led by the House Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, investigating funds disbursed to PAMO University from 2017 to date by the state government, also threatened to include the Vice Chancellor of PUMS in the arrest warrant.
The committee disclosed the development following a resolution after its sitting in Port Harcourt yesterday.
The arrest threat followed summons issued by the House of Assembly earlier in the week requesting the VC of PAMO University, the Accountant-General of Rivers State, the Commissioner for Education, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and the Commissioner for Finance to appear before it.
The committee alleged that the management of the institution failed to honour an earlier invitation to explain how state funds released to it for scholarship of Rivers indigenes were used.
While the VC of PUMS, the Rivers State Finance Commissioner and the Accountant-General of the State did not show up, the Commissioner for Education, Dr Peter, Nwagor, honoured the House invitation with his presence.
Maol, speaking about the development, expressed sadness at the failure of the VC and the two commissioners to show up at the meeting.
Maol urged the VC and the commissioners to appear before it on September 24 in person, saying the committee would rely on relevant sections of the constitution to invoke a warrant of arrest if they failed to appear on the new date.
The House of Assembly led by its Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, had removed the over N6b allocated to the PAMO University of Medical Sciences by the state government in the 2026 budget before passing it and presented same to the Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, for his assent.
The House later set up the committee to investigate the use of the state funds allocated to the university since 2017.
PUMS is owned by a former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili who is also the Pro-Chancellor of the university. (The Nation)
