The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared a dispute with the Delta State Government and directed workers to withdraw their services following the death of a civil servant, Mr Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda.
Adeda, a 54-year-old Deputy Director, died after an altercation at the office of the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu.
While the commissioner denied ordering anyone to assault the deceased, Adeda’s sister alleged that he was beaten, tied up and left seriously injured before being taken to hospital, where he later died.
The incident has also prompted a police investigation, with the Delta State Police Command announcing the arrest of one suspect, Lucky Adoh, while efforts were ongoing to identify and arrest other persons allegedly linked to the incident.
Ashibogwu, who denied assaulting Adeda, said the deceased was the one who physically attacked him and some workers at the office.
“Oh, I didn’t. Rather, the man even assaulted me, assaulted people in the office. There are video clips to it, where he was using his private vehicle to hit the staff vehicle.
“Before I knew what was happening, it was attack on me, physical. Direct attack. My clothes are there. I never ordered any person to touch him, I never touched him.”
The commissioner also alleged that Adeda had threatened some workers before returning to confront him.
However, Ovwigho, the deceased’s sister, gave a different account of the incident, saying she found her brother tied inside a vehicle at the hospital after receiving a distress call that he had been badly beaten at his workplace.
“I saw him tied up like a criminal. His entire body was filthy, blood was coming out of his mouth and nose, and his head was badly swollen,” she alleged.
She said Adeda told her that he had been summoned by the commissioner and assaulted by men allegedly acting on the commissioner’s orders.
“If you see pictures of him when they beat him up, you will be scared,” she said.
Reacting to the incident, NLC Chairman, Goodluck Ofobruku, said the organised labour could no longer accept what he described as an unsafe working environment.
“We’re declaring dispute with the Delta State Government. For that reason, we’re withdrawing our services with immediate effect.
“Whoever is responsible for the beating of this worker that led to his untimely death must be brought to book before we can come back,” he said.
The state Police Command, in a statement by its spokesman, SP Bright Edafe, said the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department would conduct a “thorough and impartial investigation” into the incident.
According to the police, the investigation would cover video footage, eyewitness accounts and medical records relating to the incident.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has constituted an administrative panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death.
The panel, chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, Mrs Charity Ehimen, was given two weeks to complete its assignment.
The state government also assured civil servants of the safety of their workplaces and reaffirmed its commitment to respecting the “dignity and sanctity of life.”