The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Imo State, has suspended a facilitator, Mr. Okoroafor Ifeanyichukwu, over allegations of assaulting a student.
In a statement signed by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. Ikeh Anayo I., the management clarified that the individual involved is not a full-time staff member but a facilitator engaged at the Technological Entrepreneurship Development Centre (TEDC).
The suspension follows a viral video showing the alleged assault of a student from the Department of Arts and Design Technology.
“Management unequivocally condemns the action of Mr. Okoroafor Ifeanyichukwu and has suspended him from the institution until further notice,” the statement read.
The institution urged staff and students to remain calm while further investigations continue.
Meanwhile, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Basilia Igbokwe, has called on all academic personnel to uphold professionalism and ethical conduct in their duties.
In a statement issued by Noble Uchegbu Uchechukwu Zachariah, the Rector’s Special Assistant on Media Matters, Dr. Igbokwe described the incident as “profoundly disturbing and wholly unacceptable.”
She stated that educators must serve as mentors and role models, not aggressors, stating that “the authority entrusted to educators is a sacred charge, intended not for intimidation but for nurturing intellects, molding futures, and igniting inspiration.”
The Rector reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to justice and maintaining policies that safeguard student welfare, stressing that “misconduct will find no harbor here.”
She urged staff to align with her administration’s 11-Point Agenda, which prioritizes academic and ethical excellence.
“This is a clarion call to all academic staff: our mission is to elevate, not diminish; to lead, not coerce,” she stated, reaffirming the institution’s zero-tolerance stance on misconduct.
