The Akwa Ibom State University has expelled a final year student at the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Iniobong Ekpo, for allegedly insulting Governor, Udom Emmanuel on facebook.
Penpushing reports that, the expulsion of the student came two months after he had earlier being placed on suspension indefinitely, while the affected student has given the university authorities seven days to restore his studentship or face legal actions.
The student was expelled for publishing a “derogatory and defamatory article” in 2019 on Facebook against the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, using a pseudonym, Afrosix Jaara, to write article which he accused the governor of reneging on a promise he allegedly made in 2017 to give financial reward to the then graduating students of the university.
“It’s 2 years and 166 days since he promised, yet none of the graduands received a naira even the first class graduands were unattended to when they went to his office’, he wrote in the Facebook post.
Penpushing further reports that the student in addition to his facebook post said Governor Emmanuel may have “scammed” the students,while the university, in the expulsion letter, said the student’s article was a “breach” of the matriculation oath and a violation of the university rules and regulations enshrined in the Student Information Handbook
The university said the student had appeared before a disciplinary committee, but the student in contrary said he was never invited to appear before a disciplinary committee before his suspension.
Penpushing also reports that, the student,apart from challenging his expulsion,has through his lawyer demanding N20 million from the university as “general damages and gross breach of his fundamental rights.”
The lawyer, in his letter to the university, said he was not in the know of any lawsuit by Governor Emmanuel against the student over the alleged “defamatory” Facebook post.
“We will like to know whether the Matriculation Oath Of the Akwa Ibom State University requires students to surrender their fundamental right to freedom of expression as guaranteed them by Section 39 of the Constitution Of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) upon admission into the University?” the lawyer queried
Meanwhile, the expelled student declared that he has no regret about his actions,and vowed to pursue the case in the court no matter how long it would take.
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