Ola Kiya, Reporting
IBADAN, Oyo State — The Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan has ordered the University of Ibadan (UI) to immediately reinstate two students who were rusticated following their participation in a protest against tuition fee hikes.
Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha, presiding over the case on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, ruled that Aduwo Ayodele and Mide Gbadegesin had successfully established a breach of their constitutional right to freedom of association.
The court delivered its judgment at approximately 5:00 PM, declaring that all actions taken against the students by the University’s Central Student Disciplinary Committee were nullified.
“The applicants are reinstated with immediate effect as it relates to the subject matter of this suit, having established their right to freedom of association under the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” the judge ruled.
“In light of the factual circumstances set above, they are reinstated in their respective faculties of this university, and any actions that are limited to or by this judgment are hereby nullified.”
The legal battle stems from a protest that took place on May 13, 2024, during the swearing-in ceremony of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union. Mr Gbadegesin, a 700-level student of the Institute of African Studies, and Mr Ayodele, a 400-level History student, were among a group of demonstrators who carried placards against rising tuition costs.
A third student, Nice Linus, a 500-level Law student who also took part in the protest, later lost her elected position as a legislator in the Student Representative Council as a result of the fallout.
The students were subsequently hauled before the Central Student Disciplinary Committee on July 14, 2025, and handed rustication penalties. However, Wednesday’s ruling has now overturned those sanctions, ordering the university to allow the pair to return to their respective faculties without further delay.
The judgment is expected to send a strong signal to university administrations across the country regarding the limits of disciplinary powers when weighed against constitutionally guaranteed rights.
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