Law alumni of Rev Fr Moses Orshio Adasu University, formerly Benue State University, have petitioned the Benue House of Assembly to reject the nomination of associate professor Timothy Ornguga as commissioner-designate by Governor Hyacinth Alia, citing gross abuse of power and unethical behaviour.
The petition written under the assemblage of’ LL.B Class of 2015 Forum’ and signed by 12 former students of Mr Ornguga, who are now lawyers, and addressed to the speaker of the parliament, detailed how Mr Ornguga used the influence of his office as a senior lecturer to torment and unleash both psychological and emotional abuses on his students.
“We write as concerned citizens and former students of Dr. Timothy Yangien Ornguga, deeply alarmed by his nomination to serve as a commissioner in Benue State,” the petition stated.
The ex-students added, “Given his documented history of psychological abuse, draconian conduct, and publicly recounted cruelty as a lecturer, we urge this Honourable House to act decisively and responsibly in the interest of justice, public service ethics, and the mental well-being of Benue’s citizens.”
According to the petition, during his tenure as a lecturer in the state-owned university’s law faculty, Mr Ornguga subjected his students to degrading treatment by administering frivolous assessments to dehumanise people.
Some of these assessments allegedly had tribal undertones, which involved forcing non-Tiv students to spell his Tiv full name while he handed out heavy academic penalties to any scholar who failed the test, an act the petitioners labelled “discriminatory and abusive.”
They also alleged Mr Ornguga publicly boasted about deliberately failing students while accusing him of preventing scholars from attending his classes solely on personal dislike, which the petitioners claimed caused emotional distress to them.
Mr Ornguga did not respond to a request by Peoples Gazette for comment. A spokesperson for the Benue governor, Tersoo Kula, could not be immediately reached for comments.
Meanwhile, the petitioners urged Benue lawmakers to block any chance of Mr Ornguga becoming a commissioner.
“Dr Ornguga has consistently been adjudged as lacking in his professional dealings. Repeated testimonies from former students and colleagues suggest a disturbing disregard for ethical behavior, emotional intelligence, and responsible use of authority.
“This pattern of conduct goes beyond poor teaching; it constitutes psychological maltreatment, discriminatory academic practices, and emotional abuse, which we are still battling with to date. All these, in our estimation, contradict the values of education and public service,” said the petition.
