PRESS RELEASE
MY QUALMS WITH THE KOGI POLYTECHNIC RECTOR: MY SIDE OF THE STORY
Compliments of the season to you all. My name is Comrade Abdulaziz Yusuf (popularly known as Okadigbo). I am compelled to address the public and the good people of Kogi State, Nigeria, and the international community on the malicious framing, unlawful arrest, and defamation I suffered at the hands of the Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic, Dr. Usman Salisu Ogbo, in connivance with certain officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
BACKGROUND TO MY APPOINTMENT
In January 2025, I was duly appointed as Manager, Environmental Resource Information (ERI) Centre, School of Environmental Technology, Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, by Dr. Luggard Okonobo, President, SEEED COOP, in collaboration with Africa Tomorrow Plus e.V (Germany).
A formal meeting to interface with the Polytechnic’s management was held on 11th September 2024, attended by senior officials including:
Dr. Samuel Taiwo Olowo (Deputy Rector, representing the Rector),
Dr. Abraham Sunday Samuel (Dean, School of Environmental Technology), who also took minutes, and
OTHER SENIOR FACULTY MEMBERS.
The Polytechnic management, through its Deputy Rector, gave official approval for the project to commence. Based on this approval, I was allocated an office within the Polytechnic to begin my duties.
ENGAGEMENT WITH THE POLYTECHNIC
Following this, Dr. Okonobo convened a Zoom meeting involving me, the Dean, five Heads of Department in the School of Environmental Technology, and Mrs. Uredo Omale, the Polytechnic’s Director of Public Relations (who later issued the defamatory disclaimer). Each participant was provided stipends for data usage.
In March 2025, the ERI Centre organized its first public programme designed to train and empower 3,000 Kogi State women in Agriculture and youth farmers. Permission for venue use was granted by the Deputy Rector (on instructions from the Rector). The programme held successfully at the TETFUND Hall within the Polytechnic. On the day of the event, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) deployed officers to provide security, further confirming the institution’s full knowledge and involvement.
WHAT CHANGED
Shockingly, after months of smooth operations, tensions arose when I posted a simple congratulatory message on Facebook celebrating the appointment of my ally, Hon. (Barr.) Momohsanni Shaibu, as Chairman of the Governing Council of Kogi State Polytechnic.
This innocent post infuriated the Rector, who reportedly told the Dean that had he known I was an Ebiraman, he would never have allowed me into the Polytechnic. I was then instructed to vacate my office. Shortly after, I was deceitfully lured to the Polytechnic Security Unit under the guise of a “settlement meeting,” only to be arrested unlawfully by the CSO without an arrest warrant and handed over to police officers waiting at the gate.
MY ORDEAL IN DETENTION
I was taken to Felele Police Station without any formal petition, arrest warrant, or documented complaint. My detention lasted three days, even after my lawyer requested bail. When it became clear that the Polytechnic authorities were unwilling to substantiate their claims, my case was transferred to the Kogi State Police Command, where I was eventually granted bail.
DEFAMATION CAMPAIGN
To my dismay, while I was in detention, the Polytechnic’s Director of Public Relations, Mrs. Uredo Omale, issued a widely circulated press statement labeling me a fraudster, claiming I operated a “fake ERI Centre,” and alleging I solicited funds from the United Nations, Sweden, USA, Kenya, and the Dangote Group. These fabrications not only assassinated my character but also caused severe psychological trauma and reputational damage.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS FOR DR. OGBO AND KOGI POLYTECHNIC
I now pose the following questions for accountability:
1. If the ERI Centre and I were “fake,” why did the Rector direct the Deputy Rector to oversee our initiation meeting and later approve our programme?
2. Who instructed the Deputy Rector to approve the venue for our empowerment programme?
3. Who ordered the CSO to deploy men to provide security at our event?
4. Where are the acknowledged copies of the alleged solicitation letters I supposedly sent to the named countries and organizations? Into which accounts were these supposed funds paid?
MY POSITION
The truth is this: Dr. Ogbo believed funds had started flowing from the project without his involvement. He attempted to hijack the intellectual property of the NGO by allegedly instructing his ICT Director to register a replica of our project. When this failed, he resorted to intimidation, arrest, and defamation.
NEXT STEPS
Having exhausted patience, I have instructed my legal team to pursue redress. A Pre-Action Notice has already been served on the Polytechnic, demanding retraction, public apology, and damages. Should they fail to comply, we will proceed with fundamental rights enforcement and defamation suits.
This struggle is not just about me — it is about the integrity of our institutions, the dignity of human rights, and the protection of truth against abuse of power.
Signed:
Comrade Abdulaziz Yusuf (Okadigbo)