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A wave of outrage has surged through Nigeria’s academic community as the University of Ibadan (UI) is accused of targeting student activists in an escalating controversy over tuition hikes and democratic rights on campus. The Oyo State branch of the Campaign for Students’ and Youths’ Rights (CSYR) has denounced what it calls “unjust rustication” and “attacks on students’ democratic rights,” demanding immediate action from the university administration.

At the heart of the dispute are three student leaders—Aduwo Ayodele and Mide Gbadegesin, both suspended for four semesters, and Nice Linus, a Students’ Representative Council member who has reportedly faced continuous harassment. According to CSYR, these students “are not criminals; they have never been tried for any offence related to examination malpractices, gross misconduct, nor were they found guilty of any illegal activities on campus.” Instead, they are allegedly being punished for “defending the interest of students by protesting against the university hike in tuition fees, an act of commercialisation of education at the expense of the children of poor working people.”

The university protests, which began in mid-2024, were sparked by what CSYR describes as an “outrageous fee hike” from ₦20,000 to over ₦200,000—a staggering 500% increase. Protesters held placards bearing messages like “Fees Must Fall” and “Make Education Accessible.” Despite the peaceful nature of the demonstrations, CSYR claims that university authorities responded with repressive measures, including collusion with the Nigerian Police Force to arrest students.

“The hardship brought on by the fee hike is undeniable,” the group said. “These persecuted students were among the few who courageously sounded the alarm.” It added that students are now forced to juggle multiple jobs, abandon their studies, or resort to extreme fundraising methods such as GoFundMe campaigns. “Parents, in many cases, have had to take out high-interest loans or sacrifice other basic needs just to cover these exorbitant fees.”

CSYR also levelled grave accusations of financial mismanagement against the university. Citing years of unaccounted funds, the organisation said, “The University of Ibadan is a tower of financial fraud, and we call for an immediate forensic audit of the university’s financial books from 2014.” The statement recalled a scandal from 2014, when “the University of Ibadan could not audit its financial records because its auditors went blind,” and argued that this legacy of opacity continues today.

Further criticism was directed at the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, and the Dean of Student Affairs, with CSYR declaring, “Prof. Adebowale and his colleagues should be the ones facing panels like the EFCC and ICPC, and should also be standing trials in a competent court of law for misappropriation of public funds.”

The conditions on campus were also scrutinised. The group claimed, “At the University of Ibadan, student hostels are not in any way different from Nigerian prisons; bad toilet facilities, poor room conditions, epileptic power supply,” and added that lecture rooms and laboratories are overcrowded and poorly equipped.

In what it described as “a deliberate attempt…to suppress criticism and enforce absolute compliance,” CSYR argued that the rustication of Ayodele and Gbadegesin and the removal of Linus from her elected office represent an effort to dismantle independent student unionism and obstruct resistance to the university’s policies. “Attacks on student democratic rights and hijacking of Student Union activities are now a new pattern in the university,” the group claimed.

The controversy has sparked calls for solidarity across campus. CSYR urged staff unions, including ASUU, NASU, SSANU, and NAAT, to “establish solidarity with the victimised students” and called on Students’ Union leaders to “defend the collective interest of those who voted for them.” In a rallying cry to stakeholders across the education sector, the CSYR vowed to continue its push for a university system that is “free, qualitatively accessible, and grounded in justice and fairness.”

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