Parents of students of Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State have threatened to withdraw their children from the institution following detention of six students of the institution and a lecturer.

The media last week was awash of reports of school’s management detention of six students and a lecturer at the Awka prison since February.

The detainees were accused of expressing opinion on Facebook the institution considered damaging.

The media reports, the Nation gathered had generated public outcry including threats by some parents who thronged the university to withdraw their wards.

Speaking with the Nation, one of the parents, Christopher Onyejekwe, whose son was among the detainees, said he had visited the founder of the University, Rev Fr Emmanuel Edeh over ten times to beg for his son’s the release.

He however regretted that such appeals had fell on deaf ears.

He said, “Fr Ede arrested my son since February 19 till date, saying that he will not release them until they die in prison.

“I have approached Fr. Edeh to appeal to him. When the police arrested students, I went to Fr. Edeh 11 times and met him. On the 11th time, the only condition he gave me was to go and pray, which I did.

“After a while, I went to him with three prominent persons, knelt before him to beg him, but he said over his dead body that the children must surely die in prison.

“He added that if I like I should bring the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to come and beg him.

“That was how I stopped going to beg him. They continued to detain them in police custody for more than a month before they were taken to Awka Prison.”

Another parent who spoke in confidence, said the period of begging for the students’ release had gone, adding that the only option was to withdraw the child from the school.

She said, “There is tension in that school now. A management staff of the school reportedly slumped on Thursday, following mass request by parents and guardians to withdraw their children and wards from the school.

“Public opinion is against them and they will have no other option than to free those children and their lecturer because they did not commit any offence.

“We won’t beg anybody any more. We are ready to fight it out.”

The Vice President, national affairs of National Association Nigerian Students, Chidi Ilogebe disclosed that plans had been concluded to fulfill its threat of shutting down the university if the detained students and their lecturer were not released immediately.

He said, “There are so many developments on the matter. First, we want to perfect the bail conditions given to our detained members on or before Tuesday.

“The IPO had declined to recognised the sureties earlier produced by relations of the detained students, apparently acting on instruction from above.

“So, we are re-strategising to produce other sureties on or before Tuesday to ensure that our members are released.

“Certain people are of the opinion that our members will only be released on the next adjourning date which is July 2, but we are saying no to that because they were granted bail by the court since February.

” So, we shall perfect the bail conditions latest on Tuesday. If they fail to release our members that day, we will shutdown Madonna university as we stated in our seven-day ultimatum. No two ways about it”, the NANS leader stated.

The matter which was due for hearing at the Federal High Court, Awka on Tuesday could not hold due to the absence of the presiding judge, Justice Babatunde Quadri.

According to an 11-count charge preferred against the defendants, the prosecutor, Mr A.N. Obo, said the publications on the social media were injurious to the image of the proprietor and the institution.

He said the alleged offences were punishable under sections 27 (1) (b) and 24 (1) (b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015

Read More updates here: https://www.newsvib.com/2019/06/parents-set-to-withdraw-their-children-from-madonna-university-over-student-detention.html

Ref: Dominique, Lalasticlala please move this.

Whatever

Church na just cover... That's where the most hideous people (character wise) in Nigeria hide

Endtime Father

What's stopping them

I have heard so many negative things about the university and Mr Ede.
I don’t know if they are true but one thing I know for sure is the only reason that school exists is because desperate parents still send their wards to the school.



Why would any loving parent send their child to that school despite all the bad news??

Take it up legally for unlawful detention.

NUC should as a matter of urgency shut down Madonna University. Everything is wrong with that Father Ede's school ranging from inhabitable hostel to lesbianism, from high tuition to "keep mute no matter what". There is also cases of illegal detention of students over frivolous things

I once visited a cousin in that school and I swore that non of my children or anyone I know will attend that school again

Madonna

I'll always have fond memories.

I was brought up to revere Catholic Priests but according to Dike Chukwumerije's 'The Wall and the Bridge', no culture is older than being human. Yes, I know that there are two sides to this story but that school has a history of maltreating students for little or no reason and the owner comes off as a megalomaniac.

Yes I'll always have fond memories, not of the school really but of the friends I made in my teens.

Does any good news ever come out of this school?

Correct. It's about time. That father Edeh or whatever needs to be made to realize that he can't keep getting away with his sadistic practices.

So they're still in "to" level? Issokay

FADA EDEH wey dey flog Staff. Him don flog my guy parents sef

That's good move

This Fr Edeh guy sef sey buhari de fear am ni?

What is special about this Madonna sef

Happy Father's day to all the RESPONSIBLE dad's out there

Endtime university..


The school na horror movie

all this private university being run by religious group is a no go area for me and my future kids.
look at the the kind of wickedness being shown by a so-called religious leader

Semi secondary School.

So, people still go confess their sins to such a person and also receive holy communion. Nigerians always turn blind eyes to clergymen, if this had happened in the western country, most parents would boycott the school and others will withdraw their kids.

This one is a joke. That he is a man in full white cloth doesn't make him God.
Butter children of butter parents. When he's kidnapped and demand a ransom of release of 11 children, he'll know.

no human feeling no human sympathy even kidnappers will not detain for that long since February

Hmm na wa for that school ooo

I haven’t followed this news, so I am not sure what their offences are, but if the Father said over his dead body that they will be released, well Over His dead body it shall be.
Except they committed unpardonable offences, like murdered someone or something like that; except that, well I don’t think that is the case.
How can a clergy Utter such statement? Why? What does he preach at church? To the students? I’m a catholic but we are first Human, and what he said is condemnable.
Such an irresponsible personality.

magicminister:
I have heard so many negative things about the university and Mr Ede.
I don’t know if they are true but one thing I know for sure is the only reason that school exists is because desperate parents still send their wards to the school.



Why would any loving parent send their child to that school despite all the bad news??

so they can get tickets to heaven

He's just behaving like his Name.... Cocoyam

9jaBloke:
Madonna

I'll always have fond memories

Elele or Okija

F
T


C