The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has warned the management of the University of Ibadan (UI) in Oyo State against expelling its three student activists from the school.

The students were accused of participating in a protest against increased tuition fees at the school.

The SERAP, which issued the warning in a post on its X platform (formerly Twitter), threatened to take legal action against the university if it carries out its planned expulsion of the three student activists.

BREAKING: The University of Ibadan must end the misuse of its authority to silence dissent on campus and drop its unlawful plan to expel three students for reportedly protesting against huge increase in fees. We'll see in court if the University fails to do this within 48 hours.

— SERAP (@SERAPNigeria) July 2, 2024

“The University of Ibadan must end the misuse of its authority to silence dissent on campus and drop its unlawful plan to expel three students for reportedly protesting against the huge increase in fees.

“We'll see in court if the University fails to do this within 48 hours,” SERAP said in the post.

Amnesty, an international non-governmental human rights organisation, in a post on its X account, said the school was planning to expel the students for participating in the protest against the outrageous fee hike, which had forced many students to withdraw from the university.

SaharaReporters in late June reported that the  management of the school invited the three student activists, Aduwo Ayodele, Olamide Gbadegesin lyanuoluwa and Nice Linus, for questioning over their participation in the protest against increment in fees at the school.

The invitation, signed by one Halimah O. Adeoye, stated that the students were invited to appear before the committee on jointly committed offences on the allegation earlier levelled against them bordering on misconduct.

SaharaReporters in May reported that security operatives at the university arrested the three activists while protesting against the increment.

The university management had also issued query letters to the student activists with the aim of expelling them.

In April, SaharaReporters reported that the UI Students’ Union Executive Council, led by Samuel Samson Tobiloba, condemned the hike in tuition by 750 per cent for new students.

The council demanded that the increment should immediately be reverted to the status quo and requested a meeting with the university management towards resolving the issue.

The students’ union leadership made its position known following the reflection of the recent increment on the students’ portal.

In a special release, the union observed that the new fees range from N133,500 to N372,500, depending on the courses.