Justice Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court, Oyo State Division, Ibadan, has ordered the immediate reinstatement of University of Ibadan student activists Aduwo Ayodele and Mide Gbadegesin, who were suspended over their involvement in a protest against an alleged arbitrary fee increase by the university management.
The university management had suspended Ayodele, a 400-level History student, and Gbadegesin for four semesters over their involvement in a peaceful protest in July 2025.
The institution also barred them from participating in Students’ Union activities and required them to undergo counselling as part of the suspension conditions.
On May 13, 2024, students including Ayodele, Gbadegesin, and Nice Linus staged a protest against a fee hike during a Students’ Union event.
They were subsequently arrested by the University of Ibadan security unit and later summoned before the Students’ Disciplinary Committee on July 2, 2024.
The students were allegedly assaulted during the arrest before being handed over to Operation Burst in the state.
Following the disciplinary process, Ayodele and Gbadegesin were suspended, prompting them to file a fundamental rights suit against the university.
Reacting to the court ruling, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, in a statement issued by Robert Egbe, Media and Communications Officer, asked the university to immediately comply with the judgment by reinstating the affected students.
The organization also demanded that the university tender an unreserved apology to the students for what it termed “deplorable conduct.”
According to CAPPA, the ruling reaffirmed students’ constitutional rights to freedom of thought and expression as enshrined in Sections 38 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Zikora Ibeh, CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, said the court’s decision sends an unequivocal message to the University of Ibadan and other oppressive academic institutions nationwide that tyranny and the use of authoritarian tactics to stifle legitimate dissent is unlawful, unacceptable and will not stand.
“The university must reflect on this moment and recommit to their core mandate of fostering critical thinking and nurturing independent minds,” Ibeh said.
Describing the university’s actions against the student activists as part of a broader pattern, CAPPA warned that student activism across Nigerian universities, particularly protests against rising tuition, is increasingly being met with repression, intimidation, and sanctions.
The organization commended the affected students for their sacrifice and courage and urged others nationwide to draw inspiration from their legal victory.
CAPPA also praised lead counsel for the students, Joseph Opute, alongside co-counsel O. Onifade, for their role in securing the judgment.
“We are proud, not only of Ayodele, Gbadegesin and Linus, but also of our role in helping them assert and defend their rights. We are proud to have stood by them since their ordeal began, amplifying their voices through our advocacy and media networks, and facilitating legal services for them,” CAPPA said.
The organization pledged to continue rendering support to other Nigerian students defending their constitutional rights across the country.
CAPPA stressed that universities should serve as spaces for intellectual engagement rather than repression.
“Universities should be spaces where ideas are contested, where authority is questioned, and where future leaders are trained not just to comply, but to think critically and act courageously. When administrations resort to suspensions, rustications, and intimidation, they turn campuses into zones of fear rather than forums of debate. This is dangerous and unacceptable,” CAPPA said.
The organization described the situation as a systemic attempt to shrink civic space within higher institutions.
“When students are punished for peaceful protest, the message is that lawful dissent will not be tolerated. What kind of society punishes its young people for caring enough to speak?” Ibeh asked.
CAPPA also called on university authorities to treat students as key stakeholders and ensure that policies, especially those relating to fees, are subjected to transparent and participatory processes.
“Chronic underfunding of the education sector has shifted the burden onto vulnerable students, creating a system where access is increasingly determined by wealth rather than merit. Until this structural issue is resolved, protests will persist, and rightly so,” the organization concluded.
