By The National Association of Nigerian Student (NANS), Joint Campus Council, Lagos State, Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neo-liberal Attacks (ANSA), alongside other concerned bodies have called for the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of the three suspended University of Ibadan student (UI3) as the final court hearing on their case has been slated for Wednesday, April 15, at 10:00 am.
In separate press statements issued on Monday, April 13, the groups decried what they described as sustained clampdown on student activism in Nigerian institutions, describing it as an assault on democratic rights of the students.
“As the court convenes for the final hearing and judgment on this matter, we state clearly and unequivocally that the victimization of students for organizing, protesting, and speaking against unjust policies is an assault on democratic rights and a dangerous precedent for the Nigerian education system,” ANSA stated.
ANSA argued that the suspension of Mide Gbadegesin (700-level, Institute of African Studies); Aduwo Ayodele (400-level History); and Nice Linus (300-level, Faculty of Law), is an attempt to silence the voices of the students against anti-student policies that undermine and limit access to public education.
According to the group, “the suspension of the UI3 is part of a broader neo-liberal agenda that seeks to silence dissent while enforcing anti-student policies, particularly the continuous hike in tuition and the systematic commercialization of public education.”
The trio staged a peaceful demonstration against the hike in school fees on Monday, May 13, 2024, during the inauguration of the Aweda Bolaji-led Students’ Union administration at the Trenchard Hall, displaying placards with the inscription #FEESMUSTFALL.
While protesting, the University of Ibadan Security Unit, also known as Abefele, arrested them together with another activist, Femi Adeyeye, and were subsequently handed over to the Oyo State Operation Burst.
NANS JCC Lagos alleged that the disciplinary actions taken against the students followed “months of intimidation, harassment, and appearances before a biased disciplinary panel designed to criminalise the simple act of speaking against rising fees.”
The controversy surrounding the students’ case also extended to internal union politics. On March 3, 2025, The Deputy Registrar of the University of Ibadan, Mr. T.I Musa, who also served as the Chairman of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union Electoral Commission, declared the disqualification of Nice Linus after she contested and won the position of the Majority Leader of Obafemi Awolowo Hall. The memo that carried her disqualification alleged a pending Student Disciplinary Council case.
Fourteen months after the fee hike protest, the University of Ibadan Central Student Disciplinary Committee (SDC) suspended Mide Gbadegesin and Aduwo Ayodele for four academic semesters on Monday, July 14, 2025. Nice Linus was not summoned by the SDC at that period.
However, on August 29, she was notified to appear before the Student Disciplinary Council on allegations of misconduct, specifically insubordination/unruly behavior, related to obstructing the swearing-in ceremony for the 2023/2024 elected Students’ Union executives.
What followed the suspension were a series of calls from local and international bodies, including Amnesty International, demanding the reversal of the suspension tagged as punishment for exercising their fundamental human rights. The affected students also proceeded to the court of law to overturn the suspension order.
The concerned groups have, therefore, called for the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of the three students, an end to all forms of repression, intimidations against student activists across Nigerian campuses, and the protection of the right of students to freely organize, protest, and express dissent, as guaranteed under Nigerian constitution.
They also called for adequate funding of the public education sector, which they said will give access to free, quality, and comprehensive public education accessible to all Nigerians, regardless of background.
