The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu has suspended the Principal and Vice Principal of its School of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing over alleged embezzlement of the students' examination fees.

Mrs Ruth Buzo-Madulia and Mr Afam Ndu, Principal and Vice Principal respectively of the school, were suspended following their alleged failure to remit about N400,000 to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), said to have been collected from the 2016 set of students as part of application, registration, certificate and licensing fees.

News Expresslearnt that each of the 31 affected students who graduated in 2016 were made to pay over N48,000 amounting to over N1.5 million into the personal account of the Vice Principal to enable them collect their psychiatric nursing licence. However, one year after the payment and subsequent graduation, they could neither be registered nor be given their practicing licences.

Through their class representatives, the students had petitioned the management of the hospital, narrating their ordeal and demanding investigation on why it was difficult for them to collect their practising licences.

When contacted on the development on Monday, both school heads denied embezzling examination funds, even as they stated that the hospital authority lacked powers to suspend them.

They had alleged that NMCN,whose duty it is to licence the students, was indebted to the school to the tune of N400,000, being over-payment they made for the Council for the November 2016 examination. They said that it was as a result of the inability of the Council to refund the over-payment that they forwarded to it N1,150,125, instead of N1,515,125 collected from the affected students.

They stated that the over-payment into NMCNaccount by the school was through First Bank electronic Remitta No. R118804406, adding that they had communicated their action to the Council in their letters dated October 7, 2016 and November 1, 2016.

In January 30, 2018 letter announcing the suspension of the two school heads, and signed by the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Jojo Onwukwe, he also accused the duo of gross incompetence, alleging that they seized the originals of the students' NMCN registration for general nursing without any reason.

“The students petitioned management because the Nursing and Midwifery Council withheld their registration, notification and licence since November 2016 when they passed out until date. The Council said the 2016 set paid N400,000 short of the fees. Thecorrect fees for the 31 candidates is N1,550,125, but the school remitted only N1,150,125 having unpaid balance of N400,000,” Onwukwe said.

The Medical Director, who attached a letter from NMCN,signed by a head of accounts, D.O. Tokunboh, where details of transaction with the school was made as well as the shortfall of N400,000, stated that the two staff were queried and they accepted knowledge of the transactions.

He stated that the suspension was based on the recommendation from a panel headed by Dr. J. U. Achor, a Chief Consultant Psychiatric, which the hospital set up on the matter, adding that it was to pave way for uninterrupted investigation.