Education

Senate begins probe of UNIABUJA students’ expulsion, summons affected persons

The two final-year students of University of Abuja (UniAbuja), Cyprian Igwe and Olamilekan Oladeru, who were expelled by the university in July over an alleged plan to protest the proposed school fees hike have been summoned by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for hearing.

The duo had petitioned the Senate, asking it to intervene and prevail on the university authority to reinstate them, so as not to suffer for an offence they did not commit.

Both Igwe and Oladeru, the director of Social and Culture, as well as the director of Sports of the Students’ Union of the university respectively, just finished their final year examinations and awaiting results when they were expelled from the school for the alleged offence.

The school was reported to have expelled them for allegedly inciting other students to go on protest if the school authority refused, within five days, to rescind its decision to increase school fees.

Since their expulsion, they were left with their fate and therefore had no option but to take their case to the Senate to intervene and prevail on the school management to allow them to graduate.

When Igwe was asked for an update regarding their petition with the Senate, he told Nigerian Tribune that he had been invited by the Senate to appear before a committee assigned to investigate the matter.

The letter, dated October 26, 2023 and signed by the clerk of the house committee in charge of the case, Freedom Osolo, and addressed to Igwe, reads in part,

“I’m directed to invite you to a public hearing of the Senate committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions of the National Assembly in respect of a petition you wrote against the University of Abuja for alleged wrongful accusation, detention and rustication from the institution.

“The matter has been referred to the committee for detailed investigation and further legislative action.

“And so you’re requested to appear before the Senate committee on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, to make a presentation in connection with the petition.”

Igwe confirmed again that he sent the petition to the Senate through Dr Victor Umeh, senator representing Anambra senatorial district, where he hails from.

He said that he is preparing to honour the invitation as scheduled.

On his part, Oladeru declared that as of last week, he was yet to receive a separate invitation letter from the Senate to that regard.

He said his intention was to join Igwe to appear together before the committee on the scheduled date.

He said he would plead with the committee to treat his case together with that of Igwe, since they were both accused of the same offence and under the same circumstances.

Oladeru explained that it is not as if he did not write his own petition but the letter was not submitted by the senator representing his own senatorial district on the premise to explore another way to resolve the matter.

The duo, however, in a separate fresh interview recalled that they were both let out of the school compound by the school’s security officers on the day they were served their expulsion letters with a warning not to come to campus again as students.

They noted that since then, they have not been to the university.

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