Group Faults UI’s Threat To Punish Student Activists Over Protest

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) of the University of Ibadan branch has faulted the decision to query and punish student activists who recently protested the institution’s tuition fee hike.

The group’s branch secretary, Akin Paul, who stated this yesterday, noted that the three student activists, namely Ayodele Aduwo, a 200-level student in the Department of History; Olamide Iyanuoluwa, a postgraduate student in the Department of Institute of African Studies; and Nice Linus, a 200-level Law student, have not committed any offense that warrants their being queried, let alone alleged of gross misconduct.

According to the group, they only displayed placards with the inscription “No To fee hike” during the swearing-in event organised by the university administration for the newly elected leadership of the Students Union.

It would be recalled that three student activists who were arrested and beaten by the University of Ibadan security and later handed over to the men of Operation Burst on Monday, 13th May 2024, have been served a query letter over alleged gross misconduct.

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“This action was conducted in a peaceful manner to express their displeasure against the decision of the university administration to hike the school. We hold that there were no records of disruption of the event contrary to the allegation in the query letter dated May 24, 2024, and signed by the institution’s deputy registrar (Students), T.I Musa.

“As a matter of fact, we of the ERC consider the query as an infringement on the democratic rights of the affected activists to peaceful assembly and freedom of speech and expression as guaranteed in Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (amended).

“We believe that the gross misconduct allegation in the query letter is a calculated attempt to make a scapegoat of the three student activists. This is with the motive of silenceing the growing agitations and displeasure of the mass of students against the decision of the university administration to increase the school for the new intakes.

“The ERC once again commends the activists for their resilience and determination to continue and deepen the agitation against fee hike despite the harassment and arrest.

“We hereby urge the newly inaugurated leadership of the students’ union to draw inspiration from the courageous example so far exhibited by the student activists and begin to organize a series of mass actions to confront the fee hike,” it said.