By IndyPress News Desk
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism has cited the victimisation of the UI3 in its 2025 Civic Space Report.
This was disclosed in a post on X titled When raising a placard becomes a ‘violation’, published on Monday, July 27, 2026,
According to WSCIJ, restrictions on civic rights are extending beyond newsrooms and political spaces.
“Not all restrictions happen in the newsroom or on the political stage. Increasingly, everyday citizens, including students exercising their right to peaceful expression, are catching the brunt of administrative crackdowns,” WSCIJ wrote.
The organisation referenced the case of the three University of Ibadan students, Aduwo Ayodele, Gbadegesin Iyanuoluwa, and Linus Adaoma, who were suspended after displaying placards bearing the inscription “FEE MUST FALL” during a Students’ Union event to protest a tuition fee hike.
“Their ‘offence’? Quietly holding up placards reading ‘FEE MUST FALL’ to protest a tuition hike during a student union event,” the post stated.
It also noted that rather than the university engaging the students in dialogue, they subjected to “non-violent administrative repression.”
“Instead of dialogue, they faced non-violent administrative repression: university disciplinary panels, campus security overreach, and a four-semester suspension designed to silence dissent.”
The organisation said the incident reflects a broader pattern documented in its latest civic space report.
“While a Federal High Court later nullified the suspensions and ordered their immediate recall for violations of fair hearing and due process, this case underscores a dangerous trend documented in our latest data: repression is spreading beyond newsrooms and into everyday public participation.”
It added that when administrative and institutional measures are used to punish peaceful assembly, fundamental rights are threatened.
“When administrative and institutional measures are weaponized to punish peaceful assembly, everyone’s fundamental rights are under pressure.”
