By: IndyPress News Desk
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a strong condemnation of the University of Ibadan’s purported plan to expel three students, Olamide Gbadegeshin, Aduwo Ayodele, and Nice Linus, over their participation in a peaceful protest against a hike in school fees.
In a press statement released on Sunday, NANS described the disciplinary move as not only alarming but also as a direct assault on democracy, free expression, and students’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
According to the association, the students were arrested in May 2024, reportedly handed over to military personnel, while peacefully protesting against a fee increase of up to 480 percent.
“They are now being labeled guilty of ‘gross misconduct’ simply for carrying placards with protest messages,” NANS noted.
The student body argued that such punitive action undermines the ideals of a university as a space for intellectual and civic growth.
NANS President, Comrade Olushola Oladoja, “Rather than acting as a citadel of learning and moral guidance, the University of Ibadan risks transforming itself into a repressive institution that punishes dissent and criminalizes civic engagement,” said.
He warned that expelling young people for exercising their rights could have long-lasting psychological and social consequences.
“Forcefully ejecting young people from the university system denies them the opportunity to grow, reform, and contribute to society,” he said.
“Worse still, it may push some into frustration, depression, or even criminal tendencies, a burden that will come back to haunt the same society the university claims to serve.”
Oladoja emphasized that the responsibility of a university extends beyond academics.
“The primary responsibility of any higher institution is to shape not just intellect, but character,” he said.
He called on the UI management to reflect on the institution’s educational purpose and to live up to its mission as a beacon of enlightenment.
NANS also announced its alignment with Global Rights and other civil society organizations that have condemned the planned expulsion.
The association laid out four key demands in the statement.
It called for the immediate cancellation of the expulsion plan against the three students, stressing that peaceful protest is a right, not a crime.
Secondly, NANS demanded that the University of Ibadan publicly clarify its position within seven working days.
Third, it urged the institution to embrace dialogue and conflict-resolution mechanisms when addressing student grievances.
Fourthly, NANS called for a public apology from the security agencies involved in what it described as the “illegal arrest and harassment” of the students, asserting that the deployment of armed forces on campus is unacceptable.
“This is a defining moment for the University of Ibadan,” the statement read.
“Persisting on this repressive path will brand the institution as intolerant, anti-student, and anti-democratic. Nigerian students are not criminals. We are the future. And we shall not sit idly while our rights are trampled upon.”
