Civil society organisations (CSO) in Rivers State, Nigeria, have condemned the suspension of two students of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education over their alleged attempts to instigate protests within the university.
Development Diaries gathered that Remmy Chibuzor of the Department of Educational Management was suspended for urging students to protest against the university’s authority for having only one bank on campus.
As for Sunday Idongesit, a student of the Department of Political Science, he was suspended for calling for the cancellation of the final year examination of the institution.
But the CSOs, in their declaration, titled, ‘Call for immediate reversal of the suspension of two students by the management of IAUE over Facebook comments’, said the sanction was a violation of the students’ right to freedom of expression.
Representatives of Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, Civil Liberties Organisation, Lawyers Watch for Justice International Initiative, Centre for Human Rights Health Ethnic Harmony and Livelihood Development, and Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre cosigned the statement.
They said, ‘The students merely expressed their views on the need for the management to bring in more banks inside the school campus to ease the stress and loss of many hours occasioned by the delay students have to endure when making transactions, especially payment of school levies and fees which result in large queues in the only bank present in the school.
‘Preliminary investigations indicate that the affected students were not referred to any disciplinary committee, but were summarily tried by a group consisting three top management staff of the institution, which negates the principle of fair hearing.
‘In the light of the above, we demand an immediate reversal of the suspension of the two students as the suspension lacks merit, due process and amounts to violation of the right of freedom of expression by the students’.
Source: Punch
Photo source: Ignatius Ajuru University of Education
