DAILY POST
The authorities of the Nigeria Police Academy have maintained a deafening silence amid the controversy, and accusations of negligence and maltreatment surrounding the demise of A.S. Jika, a cadet from Adamawa, a member of course Nine at POLAC in Wudil, Kano State.
Jika, the son of Senator Alhaji Haliru Jika and former chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on police, died on the campus on Saturday.
The tragedy has sparked outcry on the running of POLAC, and the treatment of cadets. Some cadets and staff of POLAC who spoke to DAILY POST on condition of anonymity on Sunday, alleged that Jika’s death was caused by the negligence of the academy’s medical staff.
According to them, POLAC failed to take swift action when Jika, a cadet from the Department of Computer Science, complained of deteriorating health.
And they pointedly accused POLAC’s Commandant, AIG Sadiq Idris Abubakar of highhandedness in administering the Academy.
They told DAILY POST that cadets with health challenges are often scared to seek medical attention at the academy’s clinic because they fear they’ll not receive appropriate treatment, and they could also get dismissed from the academy..
One of the cadets revealed, “POLAC is not being truthful with what happened to Jika. This is because Jika would have lived if he got proper medical attention.
“Here in POLAC, the Commandant, AIG Abubakar, makes sure that any cadet that goes to the Academy clinic, for any other minor health reason is dismissed, or placed on indefinite suspension to avoid litigation.
“He terms such a cadet as a weakling and expels him. So, for this reason, cadets who are sick will, out of fear, conceal their illness until it gets out of hand.
“They (POLAC) claimed they treated Jika when he complained of ill health, but the truth is that there are no drugs, and no facility in the clinic,” the cadets told DAILY POST.
AIG Abubakar was also accused of being inhuman in his treatment of POLAC staff and cadets.
