Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has condemned the alleged victimisation and suspension of three young students, namely Ayodele Aduwo, Mide Gbadegesin, and Nice Linus, by the University of Ibadan (UI) in Oyo State for protesting against a fee hike during a students’ gathering last year.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, CAPPA said Aduwo and Gbadegesin were suspended for four semesters after their appearance before the university’s Central Disciplinary Committee on July 14, 2025.
The organisation described their suspension as the tragic climax of a year-long campaign of intimidation and harassment by university authorities.
“These young people, despite their stellar academic records and contributions to the improvement of their academic environment, have been repeatedly arrested, assaulted, and vilified by the university management and security operatives acting on explicit orders.
“Only a few months ago, Ms. Nice Linus demonstrated her credibility when she was elected by majority votes as a legislator on the UI Student Representative Council. Rather than respecting the democratic choice of her peers, university officials revoked her mandate and forcibly removed her from the venue, citing a pending disciplinary case as justification.
“The university’s Deputy Registrar, Tijani I. Musa, who supervised the election, claimed that students with ongoing disciplinary cases cannot contest. Yet the UI Student Union Constitution clearly stipulates that only students found guilty of gross misconduct can be disqualified.
“Ms. Nice has not been found guilty of any crime but remains on trial. We have no doubt she now faces the same brutal fate as her colleagues at the hands of an unjust and highly biased panel,” CAPPA noted.
The organisation accused the university of using authoritarian tactics to stifle legitimate dissent, arguing that the suspensions violate the 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).
