Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has strongly condemned the suspension of over 25 students by Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), calling it a blatant violation of their fundamental rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.
In a statement released by its Media & Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, CAPPA demanded the immediate reinstatement of the suspended students and an end to what it describes as a crackdown on student activism in Nigeria.
According to CAPPA, the students were suspended for one academic session on charges of ‘criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, and cyberbullying.’ The organization asserts that the students' "only offense was being members of a WhatsApp group created last year to discuss and mobilize for a peaceful protest against the university’s arbitrary introduction of a third semester and imposition of an additional fee of ₦20,000 per course for registering and resitting ‘carry-over’ exams."
CAPPA has accused the university administration, under the leadership of Prof. Sa’adatu Liman, of using surveillance and coercion against students instead of addressing their concerns. The organization alleges that security operatives infiltrated the WhatsApp group, monitored discussions, and identified students for punitive actions.
CAPPA highlighted the experiences of students who reported being tracked, harassed, arrested, handcuffed, and detained before being released on bail, only to receive suspension letters in December 2024.
CAPPA argues that the repression at NSUK is part of a broader trend, pointing to the nullification of the last student union election as further evidence of a growing authoritarian culture within the university. The organization stresses that higher learning institutions should uphold democracy, critical thinking, and intellectual freedom, allowing students to engage in discourse without fear of retaliation.
CAPPA has expressed concern that the "endgame of this deliberate crackdown is to strip undergraduates of critical consciousness, eliminate opposition to the rising cost of education and crumbling learning conditions, and ultimately produce graduates who are nothing more than zombies for the broader society—incapable of questioning or challenging systemic injustices."