By our reporter
Though he has not been adjudged guilty, Delta State Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Hon. Izeze Izeze Rume Yakubu Reuben, has been suspended indefinitely from office with immediate effect.
The Commissioner was sent home reportedly on the orders of State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
The suspension was announced in a statement signed by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Kingsley Emu, on Monday.
The statement defended the suspension as being made to enable security agencies conduct an impartial investigation into allegations linking the Commissioner to the alleged assault of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Protocol, Mr. Simon Mudi, popularly known as ‘Temple’, at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, near Warri, in the oil-rich South-South state.
Videos of the said assault had gone viral on social media recently with disturbing images of the blood-soaked head of the Protocol Officer drawing different shocking reactions by netizens.
Mudi, who was,after the attack, rushed to hospital for treatment of the several wounds inflicted on him, later said he received at least 11 stitches on the head to save his life even as the stitches visibly reshaped the formerly smooth topography of his scalp now for the worse.
The SSG said the decision to suspend Hon. Reuben was taken to allow the investigation to proceed without interference and to ensure that all parties involved are accorded due process.
The State Government reiterated its commitment to maintaining public safety, law and order, as well as protecting the sanctity of human life, stressing that these principles would be upheld at all times, including in cases involving officials or institutions of the state.
It assured members of the public that the relevant security agencies would be allowed to carry out their duties independently and professionally.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Hon. Reuben.
