By Tanko Lami
ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) is calling for the immediate reinstatement of more than 25 students recently rusticated by Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK) after they organized a peaceful protest.
The students have been suspended for one academic session on charges of criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, and cyberbullying.
The controversy stems from a WhatsApp group formed last year by students aiming to mobilize opposition against the university’s abrupt introduction of a third semester and the imposition of an additional fee of N20,000 per course for registering and re-sitting carry-over examinations.
In a statement issued by Robert Egbe, Media and Communications Officer for Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Robert Egbe the organization expressed its firm stance against the university’s actions.
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“In line with our unwavering commitment to upholding free speech, academic freedom, and equitable treatment, we demand the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of all affected students,” the statement read.
CAPPA further highlighted that NSUK, under the leadership of Prof. Sa’adatu Liman, resorted to surveillance and coercion by deploying security operatives to infiltrate the WhatsApp group.
This approach allegedly led to students being tracked, detained, and subjected to harsh treatment before receiving rustication letters in December 2024.
The group criticizes the university’s heavy-handed approach as a violation of the students’ constitutional rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, as guaranteed under Sections 39 and 40 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
CAPPA is urging stakeholders, including education sector unions and civil society organizations, to stand in solidarity with the affected students and take collective action against what it calls the “creeping dictatorship” in Nigerian universities.
The group insists that reinstating the suspended students is not only a matter of justice but also essential for preserving the role of higher learning institutions as incubators of democracy and intellectual freedom.