Seven students expelled by the Federal University Dutse (FUD), Jigawa State, have served the institution a pre-action notice, demanding their immediate reinstatement and N200 million in damages.
The notice, issued on 15 October, was signed by their counsel, Garba Umaru.
The students are Emmanuel Anenechukwu, Mubarak Usman, Divine Inuwa, Yusuf Lawal, Ismail Idris, Ayomide Kayode, and Miracle Kayode.
According to official correspondence dated 8 September, the university expelled the students after a police report indicted them and they were subsequently arraigned before Chief Magistrate Courts II and III in Dutse for alleged criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.
In the letter addressed to the the university’s vice-chancellor, Ahmad Gumel, the counsel described their expulsion as hasty, uninformed, and a breach of the Nigerian constitution.
Mr Umaru said the police report relied upon by the university is merely investigative and that no competent court has convicted the students of any crime.
Denial of fair hearing
Mr Umaru said the university’s disciplinary committee did not invite or afford the students an opportunity to defend themselves before reaching a “guilty verdict” and recommending their expulsion under Section 31 of the student handbook.
The lawyer noted that the charges against the students in court differ from the armed robbery allegations cited by the university.
He further pointed out that chief magistrate courts lack jurisdiction to try capital offences such as armed robbery.
The lawyer decried the publication of the students’ names, photographs, and academic records across various news and online platforms, stating that depicting them as “petty criminals” has inflicted severe psychological trauma and irreparable damage on their reputations and family standing.
The solicitor gave the university management two weeks to unconditionally reverse the expulsion and reinstate the students with full access to university facilities, student privileges, and the return of their ID cards.
He further demanded:
“Special arrangements enabling the affected students to write the examinations they were barred from taking.
“A formal letter of apology published in the University’s internal newsletter, on its official Facebook page, across three national daily newspapers, and on online news platforms.
“Payment of N200,000,000 (Two Hundred Million Naira) in damages for public ridicule, defamation, embarrassment, and psychological trauma,” the expelled students demanded.
The university’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Bello, could not be reached through his known phone number for his comments on the development.
The expulsion
On 16 September, the Federal University Dutse published the names and photographs of seven students in its internal bulletin, which announced their expulsion.
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Their alleged offences included criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism, drug abuse, cyberbullying, and attempted sexual assault.
According to the publication, 12 students were expelled, and five others were rusticated.
It said the decisions were approved at the 20th Students’ Disciplinary Committee.
It said Emmanuel Anenechukwu, Ayomide Peter, Idris Ismail, Miracle Pelumi, Yazi Saleh, and Yusuf Abdurrazak were expelled for criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.
Also, Mubarak Usman and Divine Inuwa were expelled over allegations of robbery and cult-related activities, while Ahmed Bashir was expelled following allegations of phone theft.
In addition, drug abuse allegations on campus led to the expulsion of Ismail Muhammad, Aisha Yakubu, and Fatima Muhammad.
Five other students were rusticated for alleged offences relating to cyberbullying and attempted sexual assault.
Four of them received a two-semester suspension, while one was suspended for one semester.
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