Freedom of expression: Student not reinstated after a year

Several Nigerian students who have voiced their dissatisfaction about their universities and political leaders on social media have faced disciplinary action and intimidation – actions that human rights activists believe are undermining freedom of expression in Nigeria.

In one of the most recent cases, a student who criticised the Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) on Facebook has not been able to complete his studies – nearly two years after the post and a year after the House of Representatives ordered the institution to allow him to return, finish his degree and graduate.

Varsue Lortim, the student, has recently informed Asema Achado, the member of the House of Representatives who initiated the petition on his behalf, that he has not yet been reinstated by FUGUS. Achado said he would alert the house once the parliamentary recess was over.

“It would now be left to the house to resolve on the way forward. But I am surprised that the university would do that [not reinstate Lortim]. Once they [members of the house] have been informed that the resolution hasn’t been complied with, they will take a [next] step,” he told University World News.

Students disciplined

Lortim, a fourth-year business administration student at FUGUS, posted on Facebook in 2023 that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, or ASUU, often claims the federal government underfunds universities. But ASUU helps universities secure accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC) and then criticises the government if it cannot fund these institutions.

He further revealed in the post that the NUC team visited FUGUS for accreditation in 2018 and asked a student if the school had Wi-Fi. The student confirmed, but there was no Wi-Fi at the time.

When the university resumed in 2023 after an ASUU strike, Lortim was summoned by the security division, detained for five hours, had his ID card seized, and was presented with screenshots of his post, which he admitted making. A month later, he was summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee. The university accused him of tarnishing its image and spreading unverified information.

After his final exams in July 2023, he saw a memorandum that 15 students had been expelled, including him, for offences ranging from examination malpractice and theft to spreading unverified posts on social media. He was told later the university senate took the decision.

He then petitioned the Nigerian Parliament’s House of Representatives, which investigated the matter and found the school had targeted him. The house ordered his reinstatement on 30 July 2024 and sent a letter to the university senate to ask for his reinstatement and graduation.

Varsue could not take legal action against FUGUS for not allowing him back to complete his studies because of financial constraints. He had completed his exams, except for a project and a carryover course. He pleaded with the school to allow him to finish his project and get his results.

“This expulsion serves as a setback to my career growth as I now work in a hotel. I have met people who asked for my CV to offer me opportunities, but they needed my certificate. It is a setback and disappointment for my family. My father has been late since … 2009. My mother is a farmer, and she uses the money to send me to school. I even travelled to Zamfara because of how cheap the school fees were, to cut costs and, after all the struggles, I was expelled after writing my final exams,” Varsue said.

Professor Ahmad Galadima, now a former deputy vice-chancellor (DVC) who represented the institution at the house committee hearings, told University World News that he no longer had the authority to speak. Current DVC Dr Lawal Saad also declined to comment, referring inquiries to Hajiya Nafisa Barau Suleiman, the registrar, or Vice-Chancellor Professor Mu’azu Gusau.

Mu’azu said: “Is the school senate under the House of Representatives? I don’t have time for this. You people have been disturbing us. There is a regulation that governs anything that has to do with the university and the university senate, and nobody should dictate [to us] what to do.”

However, FUGUS has a history of expelling students for activism. In September 2023, it expelled four students and blocked others from registering after they protested against insecurity and abductions, reported Premium Times.

More gagging cases

This is not the only case in which students faced actions from their institutions for speaking out against issues that affect them.

On 16 March 2025 the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) summoned and threatened Ushie Rita Uguamaye, a corps member serving in Lagos following her social media post criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

In the video, she described Tinubu as a “terrible” president and accused the government of ignoring the suffering of citizens. Uguamaye was asked to appear before officials in Lagos on 17 March.

Activist Omoyele Sowore and his legal team accompanied her to the NYSC office, but no officials were present. Subsequently, she was left alone.

Similarly, on 27 March 2025, Delta State College of Nursing Sciences, Agbor, queried student Nurse Osato Edobor for sharing a video in which students rejected First Lady Oluremi Tinubu as their ‘mother’. Following public backlash, the school withdrew the query.

On 5 February 2025, the Media Foundation for West Africa condemned the expulsion of 37 students by Nasarawa State University, Keffi over a planned demonstration. The 37 were rusticated for one academic session.

In a letter addressed to the affected students on 9 December 2024, the university authorities accused the students of “criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, and cyber-stalking”. The accusation relates to a WhatsApp group the students created to mobilise a protest against the university’s decision to introduce a third semester.

However, the management of the Nasarawa State University has described the report that the university has rusticated 37 students for one academic session as malicious, stating on Facebook that no student has been officially rusticated from the university.

In May 2023, the University of Abuja kicked an undergraduate student, Cyprian Igwe, out of the institution over a WhatsApp group message in which he urged colleagues to protest against the hike in school fees.

In 2021, the Akwa Ibom State University expelled a final-year student Iniobong Ekpo for criticising the state governor for failing to fulfil a financial reward promise, reported Punch.

In 2019, the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta expelled Ifemosu Adewale for a Facebook post on police harassment and robbery incidents on campus, according to local media.

In June 2018, Kunle Adebajo was rusticated from the University of Ibadan over a critical article that exposed the poor state of facilities at the university, particularly at the Mellanby hall of residence for students, reported Premium Times.

A Redeemer’s University student, Debo Adedayo, now a well-known skit maker (content creator) in Nigeria was expelled in 2017 over social media posts the school deemed offensive. In a Facebook post, Adedayo insinuated that the university’s then vice-chancellor, Professor Debo Adeyewa, was a hypocrite who paraded himself as an upright person, but was, in fact, consumed by hatred, bitterness and negativity, reported Punch.

What can be done?

In terms of the National Human Rights Commission (Amendment) Act and research, higher education institutions must respect students’ rights and cannot expel them solely for expressing opinions unless such expression violates the restriction prescribed in section 45 of the constitution, which includes limitations based on national security, public safety, public order, public morality, public health, or to protect the rights and freedoms of other people, according to a legal advisory.

To ensure fairness, higher education institutions should establish clear guidelines, educate students on their rights and responsibilities, provide safe platforms for free expression, and ensure due process in disciplinary matters. If a student is unjustly expelled, they have the right to seek legal redress through judicial review, according to the organisation Action4Justice.