Akwa Ibom State University has expelled a final year student of Engineering, Iniobong Isang Ekpo, from the institution over a Facebook post criticising, Udom Emmanuel, the Governor of the state.
The institution had on September 7th 2020 suspended the Department of Agricultural Engineering student for what they termed “gross misconduct.”
The student had made a post via his Facebook page reminding Governor Udom Emmanuel that he is yet to redeem his pledge of employing first class graduates of the institution as well as giving them N100,000 each, as promised.
But in a letter dated 9th April, 2021, the university announced the expulsion of the student for the same “gross misconduct” which they said, “constitutes a breach of the Matriculation Oath.”
In the letter signed by John E. Udo, the registrar of the school, the chief security officer of the institution was directed to deny him access to the institution henceforth.
The student is not taking the decision lying low. His lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has sent a pre-action notice to the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Nse Essien, dated June 18, 2021, seeking his immediate and unconditional reinstatement, among other demands.
The notice read in part, “At no time did the Akwa Ibom State University invite or summon our client to appear before the university’s Students’ Disciplinary Committee prior to his indefinite suspension. Our client was not shown, confronted or availed with the purported abusive post.
“It is apparent that the university acted in contravention of Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.
“Consequently, we hereby demand the following: immediate and unconditional reinstatement of our client; restoration of all studentship rights accruable to all students of the university; and the payment of the sum of N20m to our client, representing damages for the gross breach of our client’s fundamental human rights and the resultant depression he has suffered.”
See the letter of expulsion given to the student below:
