By Abdulrasheed Olokoto

The Concerned Students Movement (CSM) has urged the University of Ibadan Management alongside external regulatory agencies to investigate concerns raised by students over alleged smoking activities on campus and take steps to ensure a safe learning environment.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by CSM Coordinator, Feranmi Gabriel, and Secretary, Omolaye Emmanuel, on Thursday, September 24, 2026.

“The attention of the Concerned Students Movement has been drawn to an open letter circulated across the University of Ibadan students’ social platforms, decrying and alleging the alarming presence of suspected smokers, whose presence has become intimidating to students and the university community as a whole,” CSM wrote.

The Movement noted that the alleged activities, which it said include the consumption of illicit substances, contravene the University’s regulations and extant laws of the country.

It therefore called on relevant authorities to immediately and sustainably enforce an anti-negative campaign against illicit gatherings on the university campus.

“We particularly call on external regulatory agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other appropriate agencies to, in the public interest, work with the university and conduct safe, credible intelligence-led enforcement,” it stated.

The group also called on the University of Ibadan Students’ Union to move beyond what it described as its “current abysmal partisan politics” and focus on the demand for and enforcement of students’ safety.

It further charged Union representatives to take proactive measures, including convening a congress of students to assess the situation and receive possible recommendations, while also gathering intelligence on other pressing issues.

It equally encouraged the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ) to provide media advocacy on the concerns.

The Movement also commended the students who raised the concerns anonymously.

“While we understand that the anonymous attribution is a result of the climate of repression that the management has fostered on campus, we encourage more students to continue to speak up on welfare matters and organise formidably against both vices and anti-student policies that have been normalised in the university,” it added.