Adeda’s Death: Teachers Speak on Alleged Transfer Fees

THE DEATH THAT STARTED THE QUESTIONS

Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda, 54, a Deputy Director in the Delta State Ministry of Secondary Education, left home for work on September 24, but did not return alive.

What happened inside the ministry that day has since become the subject of sharply conflicting accounts, a police investigation and a state government administrative panel.

Adeda was involved in a confrontation at the ministry’s premises in Asaba. He was later taken to hospital, discharged and subsequently returned home before his condition deteriorated.

His family said he was taken back to hospital, where he died. His death has also opened a wider question over allegations surrounding the transfer of teachers in Delta State.

FAMILY DESCRIBES HIS CONDITION

Adeda’s sister, Ovwigho, said she saw him at the hospital after a colleague brought him there. She described him as badly injured.

“I saw him (Unity) tied up like a criminal. His entire body filthy, blood coming out of his mouth and nose, and his head was badly swollen,” she said.

She also recounted what she said her brother told her about an exchange with the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu.

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According to her, the commissioner asked whether Adeda knew who he was. Adeda reportedly responded: “Am I obligated to know you? Must I know you?”

Ovwigho said her brother later complained of continuing stomach pain after returning home. “He didn’t stay long before they declared him dead,” she said.

OFFICIAL GIVES A DIFFERENT ACCOUNT

A senior ministry official who spoke anonymously gave a different account of the confrontation.

The official alleged that Clementine Ufuoma Ojumah, Director of Exams and Standards, used her vehicle to block an entrance. The official said Adeda, who wanted to leave, allegedly drove into her Jeep.

The source further alleged that the confrontation escalated after Commissioner Ashibogwu arrived.

According to the source, Adeda accused senior officials of collecting money and engaging in improper conduct over teacher postings..The source further alleged that Adeda was restrained and beaten before being taken to hospital.

Those claims remain allegations and are part of the material now requiring investigation.

COMMISSIONER DENIES ORDERING ASSAULT

Ashibogwu has denied ordering anyone to assault Adeda. He stated that Adeda had assaulted him and others at the ministry.

“I didn’t. Rather, the man even assaulted me, assaulted people in the office,” he said.

The commissioner said he was informed that Adeda had threatened people at the premises and that he personally did not touch him or order anyone to do so.

He said police officers who arrived at the scene did not arrest Adeda but advised that he be taken to hospital. The sharply different accounts are now part of the investigation.

TRANSFER FEES ENTER THE STORY

Behind the confrontation are allegations concerning how teachers are transferred within the state education system. A former colleague of Adeda alleged that disagreements over transfer-related payments contributed to his movement within the ministry.

Teachers interviewed alleged that payments were sometimes required for preferred postings. One teacher claimed to have paid N50,000 to secure a transfer back to a preferred location. Another teacher, who identified herself as Patricia, alleged that her inability to pay influenced her posting to a remote school.

A third teacher, Victoria, said she did not pay the alleged N50,000 and was consequently transferred to a riverine school in Ewu.

These claims have not been independently established.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

The police investigation and state administrative panel are expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and Adeda’s subsequent death.

They will also face questions over the allegations concerning teacher transfers and payments.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the central facts remain contested: Adeda died after an incident at his workplace, multiple accounts have emerged about the confrontation, and allegations concerning transfer payments have now widened the investigation. None of the competing allegations should be treated as established fact until investigators reach their findings.