IBADAN, OYO STATE– A Federal High Court being in Ibadan has provided a landmark judgment nullifying the suspension of three student activists from the University of Ibadan (UI).
Justice Nkeonye Maha, in her judgment on Tuesday, ordered the immediate reinstatement of the trainees and restrained the university management from additional victimising or bothering them for exercising their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and free speech.
The decision concludes a months-long legal fight following the suspension of Ayodele Aduwo, Mide Gbadegesin, and Nice Linus, who were disciplined after objecting a tuition cost hike during a Trainees’ Union inauguration in Might 2024.
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The Judgment: Placards are Not Crimes
Justice Maha held that the candidates’ case possessed clear benefit, ruling that the university had infringed upon the trainees’ essential rights as ensured under the 1999 Constitution.
The court noted that the respondents (UI Management) failed to prove that the serene display screen of placards bearing engravings like “No To Fee Walking” and “#FeesMustFall” triggered any disturbance or damage.
“The applicants acted within their rights and jurisdiction as people,” Justice Maha specified. “The participants infringed on their rights.
Accordingly, the choices suspending them are reserved and their studentship renewed.”
Key Instructions from the Court:
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Immediate Reinstatement: The trainees are to go back to their scholastic programs with the status quo ante kept.
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Limiting Order: The university is restricted from further security, harassment, or penalty of the trio.
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Protection of Rights: Affirmation that students have the legal right to challenge “anti-student policies” through serene demonstration.
CAPPA Demands Accountability
The Business Accountability and Public Involvement Africa (CAPPA), which supported the students throughout the trial, has actually demanded an unreserved apology from the university.
CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, noted that the judge particularly referenced painful testimony, which the university did not deny, concerning the trainees being attacked by security and turned over to soldiers under the false label of cultists.
“Universities are produced to encourage intellectual flexibility, not to turn trainees into zombies,” Ibeh mentioned. “We are not interested in a society that produces people who can not question authority.”
Schools must remain centres of ideas and development rather than zones of worry. The court has enhanced the democratic framework within the Nigerian educational sector.