It is a sobering moment for student rights in Nigeria when peaceful protest is not only criminalized but met with suspension and public vilification. The recent four-semester suspension of Aduwo Ayodele, a 400-level History student, and Mide Gbadegesin, a 700-level student at the Institute of African Studies, alongside the disqualification of Nice Linus from the Students’ Representative Council at the University of Ibadan, spotlights a dangerous low. Not only unconstitutional, it is equally disgraceful of what the academic world is. More importantly, it signals a growing intolerance for dissent in spaces that should be bastions of democratic engagement and intellectual freedom.

The three students’ offense? Holding cardboard on May 13, 2024, during the Students’ Union inauguration, with the simple inscription, “#FeesMustFall.” The University responded with more brute force. Reportedly, the students were physically assaulted and handed over to the Nigerian Army, an appalling overreaction by any standard.

Their symbolic actions were neither violent nor disruptive. Yet, the university chose punishment over dialogue, and the monopoly of force over understanding. This knee-jerk authoritarianism particularly led to widespread outrage from civil society, including Amnesty International Nigeria, SERAP and a host of others. The university year-long victimisation of the three students is a betrayal of the values of a university. Chief among which is the cultivation of critical thought, free expression, and justice.

Easy to guess, the administrative decision is a calculated effort to instill fear in the student body. The Professor Kayode Adebowale regime aims to send a message that challenging authority is unacceptable, that raising a placard risks one’s academic future, and that “democracy” on campus is tolerated only when it aligns with management’s interests. Sadly, the matter at hand, simply put, is a violation on constitutional rights. Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, and Section 40 upholds the right to peaceful assembly. The students’ protest falls squarely within these protections, and should not be misconstrued or violated by the University management.

Meanwhile, the fee hike in question, reportedly from ₦20,000 to about ₦400,000, is more than excessive, but exclusionary. The sum undermines the wisdom of public education as a public good. Worse still is the disqualification of Nice Linus from the Students’ Representative Council on account of the symbolic action as a pending disciplinary issue. Elected to represent her peers, she was disqualified before the conclusion of any fair process.

Unfortunately, students victimization is not a new terrain for the University of Ibadan. In 2019, Ojo Aderemi, a former Students’ Union President, was rusticated for demanding the issuance of student ID cards, a basic administrative demand. His suspension was later overturned by a court. In 2018, Kunle Adebajo, a law student and campus journalist, was suspended for writing a critical article on infrastructure decay. Repeatedly, the institution has relied on repression to silence dissenting voices. The only variable that changes periodically is the name of the victim.

What makes the current case more tragic is the deafening silence of the Students’ Union itself. Days after the suspension, neither the executive nor legislative arm has issued a formal position. The Union, under the leadership of Covenant Odedele, has failed to rise to its constitutional duty. This failure contrasts sharply with the principled stance of the Students’ Union at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), which has despite distance condemned the suspension and demanded reinstatement. The indifference disguised as neutrality by the University of Ibadan Students’ Union leadership is all the pieces of evidence students need to have in realizing that the ‘auspicious leadership’ is foundationally anti-students. Its token gestures like sharing rice and extending fees deadlines are superficial and mere stage plays.

Equally disturbing is the apathy among the broader student population. Instead of outrage, there is resignation. Instead of protest, silence. But history reminds us that student movements have played a vital role in shaping the direction of Nigeria’s education system. From the resistance against military dictatorship to the campaigns against cultism, students have always stood on the frontlines of justice. The generation of students at hand does not seem like a future constructed on justice is guaranteed or should be looked forward to.

Still, it is not too late. The student body must find its voice again, before that voice is permanently muted. Supporting Aduwo Ayodele, Mide Gbadegesin, and Nice Linus is not just about defending three individuals, it is about defending what a university should stand for, truth, justice, and the freedom to question.

The University of Ibadan must reverse this injustice. If it truly believes in the values of “social justice and equal chances,” as its anthem proclaims, it must reinstate the suspended students and end the culture of persecution. Professor Kayode Adebowale and his administration must decide whether they wish to be remembered for building an ivory tower or a fortress of fear. For now, they have placed themselves on the wrong side of history. But it is not too late to turn around.