Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Imo State Police Command has arrested officials of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Imo State University (IMSU) branch, following the union's declaration of an indefinite strike over the non-implementation of a 2025 welfare agreement. The officials, including the branch Chairman, Stephen Oguji, were reportedly taken into custody after participating in a radio programme on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, during which the union discussed its decision to embark on industrial action.
According to reports, the arrested officials were later released after several hours of questioning. A source at the institution confirmed the arrests and subsequent release, stating: "They were arrested after a radio programme in the morning. We tried to reach them but couldn't. But we learnt they have just been released. The union can never be intimidated by this approach".
The arrests came just one day after ASUU-IMSU declared a total and indefinite strike on Monday, August 10, 2026, following what the union described as the failure of the Imo State Government and the university management to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement. The agreement, signed on December 23, 2025, was scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026, but has remained unimplemented for nearly eight months.
In a press conference held at the university in Owerri, the IMSU ASUU leadership, including Chairman Stephen Oguji and Secretary Lazarus Chikwendu, stated that the decision followed several engagements with the university administration, formal presentations of the agreement, and the issuance of a 21-day ultimatum, all of which received no meaningful response. The union noted that while several state-owned universities, including those in Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun, and Sokoto states, have begun implementing the enhanced welfare package, IMSU lecturers have been left out.
Beyond the non-implementation of the 2025 agreement, the union highlighted a long list of unresolved grievances, including the continued retention of IMSU in the Treasury Single Account, which it described as a complete erosion of university autonomy. Other grievances include non-payment of promotion arrears since 2016, non-payment of salaries for several months, withholding of 21 months of check-off dues, and non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances since 2009. The union recalled that these same issues had forced a strike in 2024, which was suspended after the university management appealed and gave promises to resolve the crisis.
The strike comes at a particularly sensitive time, as the university prepares to commence examinations, a development that has reportedly unsettled students and raised concerns about the impact on the academic calendar. The arrests have drawn sharp criticism from various quarters, with many viewing the move as an attempt to intimidate the union rather than address the underlying issues. The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye, had yet to respond to inquiries regarding the reported arrest as of the time of filing this report.
The arrests of ASUU officials highlight the escalating tensions between the Imo State Government and the academic union, as the indefinite strike threatens to disrupt academic activities across the institution. The union has vowed never to return to work until the agreement is fully implemented, calling on the Imo State Government to direct immediate implementation of the 2025 ASUU-FGN Agreement. The union also appealed to traditional and religious institutions, civil society organisations, parents, student unions, and other critical stakeholders to prevail on the Visitor to Imo State University to commence implementation of the agreement.
As the standoff continues, students and parents remain caught in the middle, uncertain about the fate of the academic session. The arrests of union leaders, rather than resolving the dispute, have only deepened the crisis and raised questions about the government's commitment to dialogue and the welfare of academic staff. The Imo State Government has yet to issue an official response to the arrests or the union's demands, leaving the future of the institution hanging in the balance.
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