An engineering student of the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, Imo state, Mr Philip Brain Otobha, has cried out to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawal over an alleged acts of victimization by a lecturer, William Akionbare,
Mr Otobha said the victimization by the lecturer has stalled his graduation for over five years.
In the petition to the FUTO vice-chancellor and the senate president, and copied to senator James Manager, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and Leo Ogor representing Delta North, Delta South and member representing Isoko federal constituency , the student attributed his inability to graduate from FUTO since 2014 on the alleged criminal actions and inaction of certain officials of the institution, particularly an engineering lecturer, Akionbare.
The petition by an Asaba-based firm of legal practitioners, K. O. Ajayi & Co., claimed that the said lecturer and his course project adviser had threatened to stop Philip Brain Otobha from graduating from the university for allegedly refusing to pay him the sum of N100, 000.
The petition read in part: ” Sometimes in 2014, one William Akionbare, a lecturer with FUTO who doubles as a course adviser and project supervisor, boasted out rightly that our client can never graduate from the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, Imo state, if he does not meet up with his selfish and laughable demand of N100,000.’’
The petitioner, who hails from Emede in Isoko South local government area of Delta state, said he was seeking justice because the lecturer had made good his threat by deliberately ensuring he did not pass his course, PRT 504, as well as PRT 513 whose handler, Dr. O. Onanuju, the supervisor (Akionbare) allegedly connived with in his bid to frustrate him (the aggrieved student).