The suspension of three University of Ibadan students over a protest against fee hikes has reached the Federal High Court in Ibadan.
The affected students — Aduwo Ayodele, Mide Gbadegesin, and Nice Linus — filed the case challenging what they described as “unjust punishment” by the university administration led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Kayode Adebowale.
According to a statement sent to SaharaReporters, the students were sanctioned after holding placards with the hashtag #FEESMUSTFALL during the Students’ Union inauguration, urging the leadership to oppose rising tuition fees.
The statement alleged that university security personnel assaulted the students and handed them over to soldiers from Operation Burst in Oyo State. They were subsequently suspended for four academic semesters and accused of “insubordination” and “unruly behaviour.”
The students were first summoned before the Students’ Disciplinary Committee on July 2, 2025, and again on July 14, 2025, to face charges of disrupting the inauguration of the 2023/2024 Students’ Union executives. The court is scheduled to hear the case on Thursday, October 23, at 9 a.m.
Reacting to the development, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Joint Campus Council (Lagos Axis), condemned the university’s actions, describing them as politically motivated and aimed at silencing activism.
“This latest summon, the third in a pattern of vindictive persecution, is a blatant assault on the soul of students’ unionism and an abuse of authority,” NANS said in a statement.
The controversy has sparked outrage among student groups and rights advocates, who are calling on the University of Ibadan to lift the suspensions and respect students’ rights to peaceful protest.
