The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the police of arresting and detaining two senior officials of its Imo State University (IMSU) branch amid an ongoing indefinite strike at the institution.
The two officials, IMSU ASUU Vice-Chairman Chinedu Egbuchu and Investment Secretary Nnamdi Chibo, were reportedly arrested on Tuesday while monitoring compliance with the industrial action at the university’s Faculty of Media and Communication Studies.
ASUU Owerri Zone Zonal Coordinator, Dennis Aribodor, said the officials had gone to the faculty where examinations were taking place and met the university’s public relations officer. He said there was no confrontation before the university’s Chief Security Officer arrived and took the two men to the institution’s security building, where police officers were present.
According to the union, Egbuchu and Chibo were later taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where they were detained for more than seven hours. ASUU said they were eventually granted bail on a N1 million bond each and directed to return to the CID on August 18, 2026.
The arrests came two days after the IMSU branch began a total and indefinite strike over what ASUU described as the Imo State Government’s failure to implement agreements reached with the union. ASUU said more than five months after implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement began, key provisions had still not been implemented at IMSU and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University in Anambra State.
The union said it had previously issued a 21-day ultimatum and participated in a national visitation in an effort to resolve the dispute without industrial action. It maintained that the strike followed all required procedures and urged Governor Hope Uzodimma to direct the implementation of the agreement at IMSU.
IMSU ASUU Chairman Stephen Oguji condemned the arrest and called for a clear explanation from the Imo State Government, university management and security agencies. He argued that union officials should be able to perform legitimate trade-union duties without intimidation or unnecessary detention.
Oguji warned that the arrest could deepen mistrust and make negotiations more difficult, potentially prolonging the disruption to students and staff. He urged all sides to return to dialogue and create conditions for a peaceful resolution of the dispute, stressing that the union was seeking justice and negotiation rather than confrontation.
