‘AMCON lied, our gate still under lock and key’ – Providence High Sch.

…says lives of their 344 female students under serious threat

The management of Providence High School, Enugu, on Monday, cried to the federal government over the lives of their 344 female students which are presently under serious threat following the actions of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

247ureports.com had reported that the officials of AMCON had invaded the school with over 50 mobile policemen to take possession of the property.

AMCON had in a statement published in the dailies on Monday, described news reports of the activities of its men at the school premises last Thursday as fake news, insisting that it did not detain the students nor locked the gates.

But when our correspondent visited the school at about 5:30pm on Monday, the two entrance gates to the school were still under lock and key placed by AMCON officials on Thursday.

The Proprietor of the School, Chief Mrs. Elizabeth Onwuagha, who spoke to journalists on the AMCON’s denial of her school evasion, described as unfortunate the attempt by AMCON to discredit The PUNCH report, adding that the Corporation lied in their defense.

Onwuagha said, “I want to thank you all who were here on Thursday, 21st of January when Barrister Nick Omeya of AMCON invaded our school compound with more than 40 policemen, there were some who were not in uniform and I was inside here. The young man there, Mr. Matthew Ezekiel, they beat the hell out of him, and the students who saw when they were beating him were crying and we had to rush him to hospital.

“See all these phones belonging to my staff, they destroyed them, they were smashed. I asked you to come because of the publication we read today in most of the newspapers where AMCON is denying that they did not lock our gates, you can see the gate yourselves gentlemen that the gate is still under lock and key of AMCON.

“We have been apprehensive since Thursday the 21st of January they came here, should anything happen, fire outbreak or any other danger, how can these children escape? I cannot understand how anybody can say he did not luck us in here. Uncle Anueyiagu you were here that day and you saw what happened, Mr. Oyibo wanted to intervene when they were beating Mr. Matthew and they slapped him and pushed him away. Please gentlemen make your confirmation and tell the world what you saw because as I am talking to you the gate is still shut five days after, there is no how we can combat any emergency.”

Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the AMCON officials and security personnel, one of the staff, Ezekiel confirmed that he was beaten and manhandled because he appealed to them to know that students were in the school and that their violent approach may cause much harm.

Meanwhile, the Proprietor has called on the authorities to call AMCON to order, “This is very important, there is rampant kidnapping and raping, they are now telling the teachers everybody should leave, they will take care of the children, only God knows what they have up their sleeves, they will take care of which children, 344 children you don’t know?”