Seven Students Fight Back After Expulsion from University

Seven students kicked out by the Federal University Dutse (FUD) in Jigawa State are taking action. They have sent a notice to the school, asking to be reinstated and for N200 million in damages.

Their lawyer, Garba Umaru, signed the notice on 15 October.

The students are Emmanuel Anenechukwu, Mubarak Usman, Divine Inuwa, Yusuf Lawal, Ismail Idris, Ayomide Kayode, and Miracle Kayode.

The university expelled them after a police report linked them to crimes. They were taken to Chief Magistrate Courts II and III in Dutse for alleged criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.

In a letter to the vice-chancellor, Ahmad Gumel, their lawyer said the expulsion was rushed, lacked proper information, and went against the Nigerian constitution.

Mr Umaru stated that the police report the university used is just for investigation. He pointed out that no court has found the students guilty of any crime.

He also mentioned that the university's disciplinary committee did not give the students a chance to defend themselves before deciding to expel them. The committee made this decision under Section 31 of the student handbook.

The lawyer highlighted that the charges in court are different from the armed robbery claims made by the university.

He added that chief magistrate courts do not have the power to try serious crimes like armed robbery.

The lawyer criticized the university for publishing the names, pictures, and academic records of the students in various news outlets. He said this has caused them serious emotional harm and damaged their reputations and family names.

He gave the university two weeks to cancel the expulsion and bring the students back with full access to university facilities, student rights, and their ID cards.

He also asked for special arrangements so the affected students can sit for the exams they missed.

He demanded a formal apology published in the university's internal newsletter, on its official Facebook page, in three national newspapers, and on online news platforms.

The expelled students also want N200 million for public shame, defamation, embarrassment, and emotional distress.

The university’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Bello, could not be reached for comments on this matter.

On 16 September, the Federal University Dutse published a notice that included the names and pictures of seven students who were expelled.

The reasons for their expulsion included criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism, drug abuse, cyberbullying, and attempted sexual assault.

The notice stated that 12 students were expelled and five others were rusticated.

The university said the decisions were made by the 20th Students’ Disciplinary Committee.

Emmanuel Anenechukwu, Ayomide Peter, Idris Ismail, Miracle Pelumi, Yazi Saleh, and Yusuf Abdurrazak were expelled for criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.

Mubarak Usman and Divine Inuwa were expelled for robbery and cult-related activities, while Ahmed Bashir was expelled for phone theft.

Also, Ismail Muhammad, Aisha Yakubu, and Fatima Muhammad were expelled for drug abuse on campus.

Five other students were rusticated for offenses related to cyberbullying and attempted sexual assault. Four of them got a two-semester suspension, while one was suspended for one semester.