Two hundred and fourteen students of the University of Calabar have taken the institution and its principal officers to court over a decision removing them from the Faculty of Law.
The students, who also joined President Bola Tinubu in the suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, are seeking five billion naira in damages and an order allowing them to continue their Law programme.
The dispute centres on 214 students in the second-year Law class at the University of Calabar.
On August 5, the university directed them to return to the departments where they were originally admitted.
The university says only 221 of the 435 students in the class were formally admitted to study Law.
It says the other 214 transferred from different departments and could face difficulties gaining admission to the Nigerian Law School because of their admission status.
But the affected students dispute the university’s position.
They say management knew about their status and allowed them to study Law, pay the required fees, register courses and sit examinations.
They also say they complied with instructions to undertake JAMB regularisation.
The students argue that they were not given an opportunity to defend themselves before the August 5 decision was taken.
They are asking the court to determine whether the university can remove them from the Faculty of Law, return them to other departments and restrict access to their academic portals without establishing wrongdoing on their part.
They also want their access to lectures, course registration, examination records and other academic activities restored.
The students are seeking interim protection to prevent the university from implementing the directive while the substantive case is before the court.
President Bola Tinubu was joined in the suit in connection with his statutory role in the appointment of the university’s Vice-Chancellor.
The court is now being asked to determine whether the university acted within its powers in reversing the students’ transfers.
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Editor..Ada Ononye
