The Delta State Government has linked the death of a Level 16 civil servant, Unity Adeda, to an altercation at his workplace, assuring his family that justice would not be perverted.
It stated that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration was deeply concerned about the incident, stressing that every life mattered to incumbent government.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Kingsley Emu, gave the assurance on Saturday when he led senior government officials to the deceased’s family to condole with them.
He, however, said the full circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death had yet to be established as police investigation was ongoing.
According to him, preliminary accounts indicated that an internal workplace altercation escalated before the fatal incident.
He disclosed that Governor Oborevwori had directed the Commissioner of Police to ensure a thorough investigation, while some persons linked to the incident had already made statements to the police.
Beyond the police probe, Emu said the government had constituted an administrative panel of serving and retired civil servants to examine the incident and strengthen conflict-resolution mechanisms within the civil service.
“The essence of the administrative panel is not to conflict with the judicial process or the police investigation. It is to help us rebuild our system and enrich our conflict-management process,” he said.
The SSG said workplace disagreements were inevitable but should be resolved through established institutional channels before they escalated.
He also disclosed that the government had met labour leaders and assured them that the workplace remained safe for civil servants.
“We met with Labour yesterday and what Labour wanted was reassurance that there would be justice. Labour, as well as ourselves, agreed that the administrative panel must be set up and the police must do their job,” Emu said.
He appealed to civil servants to remain calm and continue their duties, assuring them of the government’s commitment to protecting lives and maintaining a peaceful working environment.
“There will be no perversion of justice as far as this case is concerned,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the family, Godwin Akamakusi, the deceased’s in-law, thanked the governor and the state government for their visit and appealed for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death.
The delegation included the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Johnson Erijo; Permanent Secretary, SSG’s Office, Lucky Nkemachor; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Community Development, Kevwe Agas; and Executive Secretary, State Pensions Bureau, Lawson Efenudu.