Maritime University Vice-Chancellor suspended for alleged extortion

Professor Elvis Nyarko accused of extortion

University board commence investigation

The Board of Governors of the Regional Maritime University (RMU) has indefinitely suspended the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Elvis Nyarko, over allegations of extortion.

This comes after the board said they received anonymous communications from some concerned staff of the university on the alleged act of disrespect and extortion.

The concerned staff in a letter to the university board, dated August 1, 2021 accused the vice-chancellor of allegedly extorting monies from contractors and suppliers.

“The letter by the concerned staff also accused Professor Nyarko of allegedly depleting the university’s $3 million stabilisation fund account, reducing the amount to $1 million since his assumption of office in 2015” Graphic.com.gh reported.

The staff added that the vice-chancellor also verbally abuse persons who held contrary views to his decisions.

“The Vice-Chancellor constantly engages in verbal exchanges with some management members, and one such exchange led to the resignation of the former coordinator of graduate programmes at the Graduate School,” the staff letter said.

Even though Prof Nyarko has fervently debunked these accusations, the board chaired by Jean Ernest Ngalle Bibehe, upheld that the suspension became necessary to enable a sub-committee to investigate the allegations.

According to the Graphic report, “A notice issued and signed by the Registrar of the university, Dr Baboucarr Njie to the Vice-Chancellor, and the university management board said the suspension would take immediate effect.”

The board in the letter said that the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the school, Dr Jetro W. Brooks Jnr, would act as the Vice-chancellor until investigations were completed.

Meanwhile, the lawyers for the Vice-Chancellor on August 23, 2021, wrote to the registrar and wondered why the university’s management had approached the board when it had not exhausted its internal grievance procedures, while at the same time pointing out that Prof Nyarko was not properly served.

Prof Nyarko, however, told the Daily Graphic that he had not been given a fair hearing by the school’s management and the board, since the allegations of extortion were something he had reported to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate.