The Nigeria Association of Pharmacists in Academia (NAPA) has condemned the “unlawful” detention of one of its members, Professor Ikemefuna Uzochukwu, who also serves as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Abia State. The association, which represents pharmacists working in tertiary institutions and research institutes nationwide, expressed deep concern over the treatment he received from the Department of State Services.
In a statement issued on Friday, NAPA’s National Chairman, Ezekiel Akinkunmi, called for assurances of Professor Uzochukwu’s safety. Unconfirmed reports indicated that the Abia REC was arrested on Sunday, 26 February 2023, hours after the presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday. The statement said: “The news of the abduction, forceful detention, false imprisonment and threat to the life of one of our members, who serves as the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Abia State, Professor Ikemefuna Uzochukwu, by the Police and the Department of State Services in Abia State, has come to our attention. We have also learned that he was instructed to stay away from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s office in Abia until further notice, without any official statement regarding any alleged offence.”
While NAPA condemns all forms of electoral offences, it described the treatment of Professor Uzochukwu as “very strange” and condemned it outright. The association highlighted that Professor Uzochukwu is a pharmacist and a renowned professor of pharmaceutical chemistry with international repute. “As pharmacists and trainers of pharmacists, our core attributes include unblemished integrity, accuracy and strict adherence to ethics, rules and standards. We have zero tolerance for all forms of misconduct; that is why we give the populace medicines instead of poison. We can vouch for these attributes in Professor Uzochukwu, and that is why we are greatly concerned about the treatment he has received and his present situation,” the statement noted.
NAPA appealed to the relevant government agencies handling the matter to allow justice to prevail.
Comments are closed for this story.