Court Orders UI To Reinstate 3 Students Suspended Over Tuition Protest

A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has ordered the management of the University of Ibadan (UI) to reinstate three students suspended over a protest against tuition fee hikes.

Justice Nkeonye Maha gave the ruling on Wednesday, setting aside the decision of the institution’s disciplinary committee and restoring the students’ rights with immediate effect.

The affected students — Aduwo Ayodele, Mide Gbadegesin, and Nice Linus — were suspended on July 14, 2025, following a protest triggered by an increase in tuition fees approved by the university’s governing council.

The protest reportedly began at midnight after a circular issued by the council’s secretary, G.O. Saliu, announced the approval of a revised schedule of levies for both newly admitted and returning undergraduate students for the 2023/2024 academic session.

The circular had advised students to complete their registration on or before September 4, 2024, to enable departments prepare for first semester examinations.

Dissatisfied with the development, the students staged a protest, which later led to their suspension by the university authorities.

However, in a suit filed before the court, the applicants described their suspension as a violation of their fundamental human rights and sought judicial intervention.

They argued that the university’s disciplinary process denied them fair hearing.

Part of the reliefs sought included:
“A declaration that the refusal during the sittings of the 1st Respondent’s Student Disciplinary Committee and the Central Student Disciplinary Committee to allow the Applicants call witnesses and present video footage of what transpired on 13th of May, 2024, constitutes egregious infringement of the Applicants’ right to fair hearing guaranteed under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

“AN ORDER SETTING ASIDE in its entirety the 1st Respondent’s Central Student Disciplinary Committee’s decisions dated 14th of July, 2025… being decisions reached in proceedings bereft of fair hearing and natural justice.

“AN ORDER OF THE HONOURABLE COURT forthwith reinstating the Applicants’ full studentship rights and privileges… to wit, attend lectures, write examinations and participate in student union activities…”

They also sought a perpetual injunction restraining the university from further disciplinary actions tied to their protest, as well as N20 million in damages and N5 million in exemplary damages.

Delivering judgement, Justice Maha held that the university management violated the students’ right to fair hearing.

“I hereby set aside the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and order the reinstatement of the suspended students,” she ruled.

Meanwhile, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has commended the judiciary for what it described as a landmark decision.

In a statement issued in Ibadan, CAPPA called on the university to comply fully with the court order, reinstate the students, and issue an unreserved apology.

“The judgement strongly affirms students’ constitutional rights to freedom of thought and expression, as guaranteed under Sections 38 and 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” the statement read.

The organisation further referenced the students’ claims that they were assaulted during the incident.

“Justice Maha, who delivered the judgment on Wednesday, referenced the students’ testimony that they were dragged out of the hall by the university’s internal security and handed them over to a waiting mob who beat them to a stupor and insulted them.

“The trio were then profiled on the spot as criminals and eventually handed over to soldiers of the Operation Bust unit as dangerous cultists. Importantly, the judge noted that the university authorities ‘did not deny these damning allegations.’”

CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, added: “The court’s decision sends an unequivocal message to the University of Ibadan and other oppressive academic institutions nationwide that tyranny and the use of authoritarian tactics to stifle legitimate dissent is unlawful, unacceptable and will not stand.”