Court voids suspension of U.I. students

Federal High Court in Ibadan has nullified suspension of three student activists of University of Ibadan, ordering their reinstatement and restraining the institution from further victimising them for exercising their constitutional rights.

Justice Nkeonye Maha held the applicants’ case had merit and that the university infringed on their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The court found that the students acted within their rights when they displayed placards protesting fee hike at a students’ gathering, noting the respondents failed to establish that the peaceful protest caused harm or disruption.

Justice Maha said: “The applicants acted within their rights and jurisdiction as citizens. The respondents could not prove that the carrying of placards caused any harm.”

The judge held the students showed evidence of harassment and intimidation by security operatives attached to the first respondent, adding they were placed under surveillance after the protest.

“The case of the applicants has merit. The respondents infringed on their rights. Accordingly, the decisions suspending them are set aside, the status quo ante retained, and their studentship reinstated,” the judge ruled.

Justice Maha also restrained the respondents from harassing or punishing the students for exercising their lawful rights.

Counsel to the applicants, who appeared through Aderayo Ajayi holding brief for O.O. Onifade, welcomed the judgment, describing it as a triumph for justice.

“This is indeed justice for humanity and we are grateful,” counsel said shortly after the ruling.

The suit was instituted by Ayodele Aduwo, Mide Gbadegesin and Nice Linus, who challenged disciplinary actions taken against them after they displayed placards bearing inscriptions such as “No To Fee Hike” and “#FeesMustFall” during a Students’ Union inauguration in May 2024.

The applicants told the court that they were dragged out of the venue, assaulted and later subjected to a prolonged campaign of intimidation, culminating in the suspension of Aduwo and Gbadegesin for four semesters, while Linus allegedly suffered continued victimisation.

Reacting to the judgment, Aduwo, a 400-level student, said the verdict was a victory for students across Nigeria.

“We have just won a case against the high-handed university management. The court has reinstated us immediately and stopped the university management from perpetrating further injustice against us,” he said.

“The victory today is not just for UI students, but for the entire student community. It reinforces the rights of students on campuses to speak against abnormal conditions and anti-student policies.”

Nice Linus, a 500-level Law student, described the ruling as vindication after what she called two years of victimisation.

“This case has shown that you can stand for justice and win. Many people thought it would take years, but in a few months, justice has come. I hope more women will be inspired to take leadership positions and not be afraid of intimidation,” she said.

Mide Gbadegesin, a 700-level student, said the judgment showed that persistence pays.

“What today has shown is that justice delayed will eventually come through persistence,” he said, while calling attention to the alleged victimisation of other student activists.

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) hailed the ruling as a victory for democracy, students’ rights and civic freedom within tertiary institutions.

In a statement signed by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, the organisation demanded immediate compliance with the judgment, reinstatement of the affected students and an unreserved apology from the university authorities.

CAPPA said the verdict strongly affirmed students’ constitutional rights to freedom of thought and expression as guaranteed under Sections 38 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The group noted that Justice Maha referenced the students’ testimony that they were dragged out of the hall by internal security officials and handed over to a mob that assaulted them before they were allegedly profiled as criminals and handed to Operation Burst soldiers as suspected cultists.

Importantly, CAPPA said the judge observed that the university authorities did not deny the allegations during proceedings.

CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the judgment validated the position the organisation had maintained from the onset that the students committed no offence.

“We are pleased with the judgment today because it confirms everything we believed when we first got involved in this case and began to provide support for these students. They did nothing wrong. They acted within democratic norms and within their constitutionally guaranteed rights,” she said.

She added that universities were created to encourage intellectual freedom, debate and critical thinking, not to suppress dissenting voices.

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She also described the ruling as a strong statement against repression in Nigerian higher institutions.

“The university must take this moment to reflect and correct itself. It is an institution established to nurture free thinkers and independent minds. It is not a place to repress thought or turn students into zombies. We are not interested in a society that produces people who cannot question authority.”

According to her, the ruling should serve as a warning to institutions that use suspensions, intimidation and harassment to silence legitimate protests.

“What the court has affirmed today is that students have minds of their own, and those minds must be free to think, to challenge injustice and to demand accountability. The rights to protest, free speech, peaceful assembly and critical thinking are natural democratic rights that must continue to be protected.”

Ibeh said CAPPA would continue to stand with oppressed students and civic groups across the country.

“We will continue to support students who are unfairly targeted for speaking out. Campuses should be centres of ideas and progress, not zones of fear where students are punished for expressing lawful opinions.”