DSS urged to release Balewa varsity ASUU chair

The Academic Staff Union of Universities’chapters of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi and Bauchi State University, Gadau, have called on the Department of State Security to release the ATBU’s chapter’s chairman, Adamu Babayo, from its custody.

The vice chairman of the union, ATBU chapter, Ibrahim Maina made the call at a press briefing in Bauchi yesterday.

“He (Babayo) was sent a text message since Friday to report to the DSS office Bauchi today being Sunday, he decided to report and take some of the EXCO members with him. The DSS officials asked the other EXCO members to leave, they later detained the chairman Dr Babayo, alone in their office,” he said.

When contacted, a top DSS official in the state said Babayo was only invited to discuss ways of ending the ongoing strike.

He explained: “I was very much surprised by their action. The chairman was here for a very short time and the encounter had been very productive. What happened was that we invited him on the day they embarked on the strike in order to avert the strike since their students are writing exams.

“He said he was in a meeting at the time and promised to come. We called him several times, but he didn’t pick the call and he later switched off his phone. So, we sent him another invitation which he honoured today. How can we detain him, for what? We just invited him for discussion and we have discussed and he left. That is all.