It was not a good Monday for the Special Assistant to Governor Ben Ayade on Students Matters, Mr. Michael Abuo, as he ends up beaten up by a crowd of higher institution students from the Cross River State for withholding N300,000 that was meant for them.
The incident happened at the U.J. Esuene Stadium during a reception in honour of the Governor following the December 9 Supreme Court ruling which validated Ayade’s election.
The students, numbering over 100, were said to be aggrieved that Abuo refused to release the N300,000, which the governor was said to have given to them to celebrate his victory.
It was learnt that the governor gave N1m to each of the 29 commissioners and some other aides to mobilize people for the victory celebration in Calabar.
The governor’s aide took to his heels when the students attacked him. He scaled the stadium fence into the hands of the police who rescued him.
One of the students from the University of Calabar, who gave her name as Josephine, said, “The governor approved N300,000 for us, but he refused to release the money. We are over 200 students; and instead of releasing the money, he became angry when we confronted him. He has been cheating us for too long.”
Abuo, however, said the attack was sponsored, adding that it was not true that he stole students’ financial entitlement.(Culled from Punch)
