Justice Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, has quashed the rustication of three University of Ibadan students who protested a tuition hike from roughly ₦30,000 to over ₦200,000 in May 2024.
The students — Ayodele Aduwo, Mide Gbadegesin and Nice Linus — were rusticated by the university for four semesters over the protest.
In a ruling that lasted about an hour and a half, Justice Maha nullified the rustication on the grounds that the right to protest is a constitutional right that must be exercised without impediment.
On the university’s claim that the students had disrupted a ceremony of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) during the protest, the judge ruled that the institution ought to have invited the police to investigate the allegation rather than deploy its own security personnel to arrest the students. The judge also noted that the SUG, whose ceremony was allegedly disrupted, had disclaimed the claim and even accused the university of victimising the students.
Besides, the judge said the Vice Chancellor of the University who was a complaint against the student, was also a member of the university’s disciplinary panel, making him a judge in his own case.
The judge therefore ordered the university to reinstate the students. It also granted an injunction restraining the university from subjecting them to any further disciplinary committee proceedings.
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has commended the judiciary for quashing the unlawful rustication of student activists Ayodele Aduwo and Mide Gbadegesin, and for addressing the ongoing victimisation of Nice Linus, who held placards reading “No to Fee Hike” during a student gathering last year.
In a statement on Wednesday, CAPPA demanded that the university immediately comply with the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Ibadan by reinstating the students and tendering a full, unreserved apology to the trio for its “deplorable conduct.” According to the organisation, the judgment 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).
CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the court’s decision sends an unequivocal message to the University of Ibadan and other academic institutions nationwide that “tyranny and the use of authoritarian tactics to stifle legitimate dissent is unlawful, unacceptable and will not stand.”
She said: “The university must reflect on this moment and recommit to its core mandate of fostering critical thinking and nurturing independent minds.”
According to the statement, the ordeal of Ayodele, Gbadegesin and Linus began on May 13, 2024, when they briefly and quietly displayed placards reading “No to Fee Hike” and “#FEESMUSTFALL” during a Students’ Union inauguration.
The trio testified that they were forcibly removed from the venue by school authorities, physically assaulted, and — after a year-long campaign of intimidation and harassment — subjected to disciplinary proceedings that led to the suspension of Ayodele and Gbadegesin for four semesters. Nice Linus was not formally rusticated but continued to face maltreatment, including being denied the opportunity to resume her role as a legislator on the UI Students’ Representative Council despite securing a majority mandate in the election.
CAPPA described the situation as a troubling pattern in academic institutions across the country, whereby student activism — especially against rising school fees — is increasingly met with intimidation, suspension and institutional repression.
The group commended Ayodele, Gbadegesin and Linus “for their sacrifice and courage” in standing up for their rights and urged other students nationwide to draw inspiration from their victory. It also praised the diligence of lead counsel Joseph Opute Esq. and his co-counsel O. Onifade, whose legal representation was central to securing the judgment.
The organisation expressed satisfaction in its role in the students’ triumph and pledged to continue supporting oppressed students across the country.
“We are proud, not only of Ayodele, Gbadegesin and Linus, but also of our role in helping them assert and defend their rights. We are proud to have stood by them since their ordeal began, amplifying their voices through our advocacy and media networks, and facilitating legal services for them,” CAPPA said. “We pledge to continue rendering support to other Nigerian students defending their constitutional rights across the country.”
CAPPA added: “Universities should be spaces where ideas are contested, where authority is questioned, and where future leaders are trained not just to comply, but to think critically and act courageously. When administrations resort to suspensions, rustications and intimidation, they turn campuses into zones of fear rather than forums of debate. This is dangerous and unacceptable.”
Ibeh described the issue as a systemic attempt to shrink civic space within Nigerian higher institutions.
“When students are punished for peaceful protest, the message is that lawful dissent will not be tolerated. What kind of society punishes its young people for caring enough to speak?” she added.
Calling on university authorities to recognise students as stakeholders rather than adversaries, CAPPA demanded that fee policies and other developments affecting students be subjected to transparent, participatory processes that take into account the socio-economic realities of students and their families.
“Chronic underfunding of the education sector has shifted the burden onto vulnerable students, creating a system where access is increasingly determined by wealth rather than merit. Until this structural issue is resolved, protests will persist — and rightly so,” CAPPA added.