– Orders Son To Beat Up Staff For Refusing To Carry Mother’s Hand Bag
– Police Orderly Sprays Tear Gas To Suffocate Victim
Mrs Roseline Izuogu, Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, who is said to have a penchant for negative publicity, is in the news again for the very wrong reasons, as her son, Precious Izuogu, who serves as her Personal Assistant, recently beat the Public Relations Officer of the establishment, Unegbu Chimaobi Micheal, to stupor for refusing to carry his mother’s hand bag after church service at Dunamis Church Int’l, located along Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, the Imo State capital.
It was gathered that, Roseline Izuogu, whose refusal to vacate office as the Permanent Secretary of Local Government Service Commission several years after she retired from service generated tension, reportedly told her son that the PRO insulted her after church service. Based on this, her son Precious recruited some thugs with whom he beat and humiliated the PRO, while her police orderly sprayed tear gas on the hapless victim.
According to eye witness account, “trouble started when Mrs Izuogu told the Public Relations Officer of the Local Government Service Commission, Unegbu Chimaobi to carry her bag and he refused to do so. Angered by the development, which she considered insulting, Izuogu told her son who also doubles as her Personal Assistant to beat up the Public Relations Officer”.
“Izuogu, who, aside refusing to vacate office as Permanent Secretary years after attaining the official retirement age several years ago, is also said to be involved in the alleged diversion and misappropriation of local government funds which has culminated in the non payment of staff salaries.
It is also whispered in several quarters that she is one of those being used to run the local government system down which has been moribund since Governor Uzodinma assumed office”.
Continuing, the source said, “it is generally believed that the Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Roseline Izougu who, according to her service records, retired from the state civil service long before now has been continuously recycled and retained because of the hatchet jobs she is being used to execute by the state government, to the detriment of Imo people, especially staff of the 27 local government councils in the state who have never had it so bad”.
“Recall, also that it is the same Roseline Izuogu, who used her position as Chairman, Local Government Service Commission to authorize the 27 Sole Administrators of the various Local government councils to pay huge amounts periodically to a controversial and questionable bank account, even when staff are being owed accumulated arrears of salaries and other entitlements”, he said”.
Effort to reach Mrs Izuogu for comment was abortive as she did not respond to calls put to her phone and was also not in the office when our reporter visited.
However, the Head of Service, Barr Raymond Ucheoma is said to have confirmed the incident, while pleading for calm, as the State government investigates the matter.
