About 400 members of staff of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, have been suspended from service.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Professor Joy Nwabueze, confirmed this to journalists, stating that the suspension was a directive from the University Governing council and not by the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Francis Ogbonnaya Otunta, as being speculated.

According to her, the former Vice Chancellor, Professor Hillary Edeogo, before leaving office, hired over 400 people between November 2015 and February 2016 which constituted over 12 per cent of the entire staff strength.

Nwabueze however hinted that the sack might have come as a result of insufficient funds to pay staff, adding that there should have been an approval from the council as to whether or not that number of people was needed in the service.

The DVC Administration, however, stressed that there was no conniving between the VC Francis Otunba and Council Chairman, Hon Lawal Zayyana (rtd), to sack, suspend or make people suffer unnecessarily.

The staff are expected to remain suspended pending the outcome of the university’s governing council decision.

Some victims of the suspension who spoke to Channels Television expressed shock over the incident saying they had been interviewed for permanent employment. (Channels TV)