Seven college students expelled by the Federal University Dutse (FUD), Jigawa State, have served the establishment a pre-action discover, demanding their quick reinstatement and N200 million in damages.
The discover, issued on 15 October, was signed by their counsel, Garba Umaru.
The college 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 scholars after a police report indicted them and so they have been subsequently arraigned earlier than Chief Magistrate Courts II and III in Dutse for alleged prison conspiracy and armed theft.
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 structure.
Mr Umaru mentioned the police report relied upon by the university is merely investigative and that no competent courtroom has convicted the scholars of any crime.
Denial of truthful listening to
Mr Umaru mentioned the university’s disciplinary committee didn’t invite or afford the scholars a chance to defend themselves earlier than reaching a “guilty verdict” and recommending their expulsion beneath Section 31 of the coed handbook.
The lawyer famous that the costs towards the scholars in courtroom differ from the armed theft allegations cited by the university.
He additional identified that chief Justice of the Peace courts lack jurisdiction to strive capital offences resembling armed theft.
The lawyer decried the publication of the scholars’ names, images, and tutorial data throughout varied information and on-line platforms, stating that depicting them as “petty criminals” has inflicted extreme psychological trauma and irreparable harm on their reputations and household standing.
The solicitor gave the university administration two weeks to unconditionally reverse the expulsion and reinstate the scholars with full entry to university amenities, scholar privileges, and the return of their ID playing cards.
He additional demanded:
“Special preparations enabling the affected college students to put in writing the examinations they have been barred from taking.
“A proper letter of apology revealed within the University’s inner e-newsletter, on its official Facebook web page, throughout three nationwide each day newspapers, and on on-line information platforms.
“Payment of N200,000,000 (Two Hundred Million Naira) in damages for public ridicule, defamation, embarrassment, and psychological trauma,” the expelled college students demanded.
The university’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Bello, couldn’t be reached by way of his identified cellphone quantity for his feedback on the event.
The expulsion
On 16 September, the Federal University Dutse revealed the names and pictures of seven college students in its inner bulletin, which introduced their expulsion.
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Their alleged offences included prison conspiracy, armed theft, cultism, drug abuse, cyberbullying, and tried sexual assault.
According to the publication, 12 college students have been expelled, and 5 others have been rusticated.
It mentioned the selections have been accredited on the twentieth Students’ Disciplinary Committee.
It mentioned Emmanuel Anenechukwu, Ayomide Peter, Idris Ismail, Miracle Pelumi, Yazi Saleh, and Yusuf Abdurrazak have been expelled for prison conspiracy and armed theft.
Also, Mubarak Usman and Divine Inuwa have been expelled over allegations of theft and cult-related actions, whereas Ahmed Bashir was expelled following allegations of cellphone theft.
In addition, drug abuse allegations on campus led to the expulsion of Ismail Muhammad, Aisha Yakubu, and Fatima Muhammad.
Five different college students have been rusticated for alleged offences regarding cyberbullying and tried sexual assault.
Four of them obtained a two-semester suspension, whereas one was suspended for one semester.
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