Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Olufemi A. Peters, has reassured the students of the institution’s study centre at Ezeoke Nsu community, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, that their academic programmes would not be affected by the burning of the centre by unknown hoodlums on Monday night.
The hoodlums burnt the study centre based on a rumour that the Federal Government wished to use it to house internally displaced persons from a section of the country.
They also set ablaze the country home of the immediate past senator for Imo North, Senator Frank Ibezim.
NOUN dispelled the rumour as the concoction of misguided elements and condemned the arson by “the enemies of the community,” saying it was never contacted by any government agency for such an inexistent measure.
In a press statement he issued in Abuja on Friday, the Director of Media and Publicity, NOUN, Malam Ibrahim Sheme, said, “We are aware that the police have since swung into action to apprehend the perpetrators of the heinous crime.”
The statement quoted the Vice-Chancellor as saying academic programmes at the centre would not be interrupted by the sad occurrence.
Peters said, “Academic activities by our students in the Ezeoke Nsu Study Centre will continue unabated as they will be assigned to the study centres nearest to them.”
He also sympathised with Senator Ibezim over the razing of his residence by the hoodlums and prayed to God to recompense him for his loss.
He added: “We are grateful to the leaders and members of the Ezeoke Nsu community for their sympathy with and support for us in the current situation and assure them that their study centre will return ever more strong in the shortest possible time.”
Sheme also disclosed that a delegation from the university has visited the razed study centre on behalf of the management in order to assess the damage.
