UNN Security Allegedly Arrests Secondary School Teachers After Political Campaign Visit – THISDAYLIVE

Precious Ugwuzor

Three teachers of the University of Nigeria Secondary School, Nsukka, including Mr. Lawrence Oko, popularly known as “Uncle Law”, and Hon. Chinedu Ezenwa, were reportedly arrested by security personnel of the University of Nigeria over an alleged political meeting involving members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

The incident allegedly occurred on the evening of June 15, 2026, shortly after PDP campaign officials concluded an engagement ahead of the June 20 Enugu North Senatorial District by-election.

According to sources, the PDP candidate in the election, Dr. Nestor Ezeme, was accompanied by Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, the PDP governorship candidate for the 2027 Enugu State governorship election.

Sources said the university management was opposed to the PDP meeting being held within the university community.

Witnesses claimed that UNN security personnel arrived at the venue shortly after the campaign team departed and attempted to identify those who organised the meeting. Mr. Oko, a Civic Education teacher at the school, was subsequently taken into custody by the security operatives.

Sources further alleged that the teacher was asked to write a statement while in custody, although the content of the statement could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

Some staff members questioned the rationale behind the arrest, noting that political parties had previously visited various sections of the university community to interact with staff and students without similar incidents being reported.

There were also claims that one of the security personnel described Chief Uche Nnaji as “an enemy of the university”, a statement that could not be independently confirmed.

Meanwhile, another staff member, Hon. Chinedu Ezenwa, was reportedly invited to appear before the university’s security department on June 16 to provide information regarding the circumstances surrounding the invitation extended to Dr. Ezeme and his campaign team.

Sources familiar with the matter maintained that the meeting was held outside the premises of the University of Nigeria Secondary School and that approval had been obtained from the relevant school authorities before the event took place.

It was further gathered that some university security personnel were allegedly detailed to monitor the movements of Chief Nnaji and the senatorial candidate, with a view to detaining them in an underground cell without police involvement.

Police sources alleged that the plan was uncovered after detectives attached to the Nsukka Area Command took swift action aimed at arresting the university security personnel and others allegedly involved in the plot.

The security personnel reportedly evaded arrest and took refuge within the campus while efforts were made by university authorities to resolve the matter with the police.

Some members of the university community have called for an investigation into the actions of the security personnel involved and demanded the immediate release of the teacher if no offence is established against him.

As of the time of filing this report, the University of Nigeria management and the university’s security department had not issued an official statement on the incident.