An Anambra Permanent Secretary is under investigation for allegedly assaulting a Head of Department, leaving the victim in a coma.
An alleged altercation between the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Chinwe Achugbu, and an unidentified female Head of Department (HOD) in the same ministry has prompted Anambra State Government to swear by taking necessary action.
According to reports, one of the individuals involved in the occurrence on Thursday, August 15th, 2024 required hospitalization.
According to reports, there was an altercation that turned into a physical fight where Achugbu allegedly tried to strangle the HOD resulting in her being left in a coma.
After being injured, the HOD was quickly transported to the Emergency Ward at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital Amaku-Awka. Eventually, she received resuscitation there.
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Unidentified witnesses and insiders from the ministry have verified the occurrence of this event, whilst also expressing apprehension regarding an increase in instances of physical altercations amongst senior personnel.
It was also disclosed that numerous lower-ranked individuals hesitate to report such occurrences due to apprehensions of being targeted as victims.
When asked to provide remarks, Permanent Secretary Achugbu opted not to speak and instead referred the inquiries to the Head of Service due to her position.
Though Theodora Igwegbe, the Head of Service, confirmed her awareness of the incident through social media; she also mentioned that there hasn’t been an official complaint received yet.
Once official reports are submitted, she assured that an investigation would be carried out and appropriate measures would be implemented based on the discoveries.
There were unsuccessful attempts to get a comment from Ify Obinabo, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, since she was not available.
The incident has aroused apprehensions in the ministry, prompting numerous voices demanding prompt and transparent investigations to tackle the problem and avert potential future incidents.
It is anticipated that the state government, utilizing appropriate entities, will fulfill its pledge to uphold justice in accordance with the rules of public service.
