An academic tsunami has hit the Federal University of Otuoke (FUO) as the governing council of the institution has stripped seven professors of their rank, demoting them to lecturer 1.

The affected professors have however alleged witch-hunt and have concluded plans to drag the institution to court to challenge the decision of the governorship council.

The registrar of FUO, Mr Iruo Yousuo, in a statement said the council at its 10th meeting decided to “sanitise the system” in order to take the university to greater height.

According to him those affected were found to be lacking the requite criteria for appointment as professor.

The statement also stated that three lecturers had their appointments converted to contract appointments as their tenures were at “variance with applicable rules.”

Similarly the governing council approved the termination of six non- teaching staff on grounds of abscondment.

The governing council equally approved the appointments of Prof. Felicia Etim and CSP Rosalyn Biobaragha (rtd) as University Librarian and Chief Security Officer respectively.

However, sources close to the affected lecturers said that they were headed for court to challenge the decision of the governing council.

He said some of the affected lecturers had received several death threats over their stance on certain policy decisions taken by the VC.

However, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), Dr Joseph Omoro, commended the governing council for doing the right thing by stripping the affected lecturers of their ranks.

Omoro in an interview, dismissed allegations of witch-hunt, disclosing that it was ASUU that first raised the issue of the award of the rank of professors to the affected lecturers without meeting the laid down procedures.