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Akwa Ibom State University expels 500-level student for ‘insulting’ the governor on Facebook
The senate of Akwa Ibom State University has expelled a 500-Level Student identified Iniobong Ekpo for allegedly insulting Emmanuel Udom, the state governor, on Facebook.
The senate of Akwa Ibom State University has expelled a 500-Level Student identified Iniobong Ekpo for allegedly insulting Emmanuel Udom, the state governor, on Facebook.
Ekpo was in his final year at the varsity’s agricultural engineering department when he was expelled for his 2019 Facebook post about Udom which the university described as a “derogatory and defamatory article”.
He was first suspended indefinitely in September 2020 before his expulsion via a letter dated April 9, 2021.
In the article, Ekpo, under the pseudonym “Afrosix Jaara”, accused Udom of failing to make good on a 2017 monetary reward he had pledged to the then-graduating students of the university who proved to be outstanding.
“It’s 2 years and 166 days…, yet, none of the graduands received a Naira. Even the first-class graduands were unattended to when they went to his office,” Ekpo said in the 2019 article.
But in the expulsion letter delivered to him, the university said Ekpo’s article breached the matriculation oath he had signed and violated the university rules and regulations enshrined in the student information handbook.
The university also said that he was made to appear before a disciplinary committee but Ekpo denied any such hearing.
“As its 69th meeting held on Wednesday, 31st of March, 2021, the senate of Akwa Ibom State University deliberated on the report from the disciplinary committee,” the varsity wrote to Ekpo.
“You will recall that you appear before the committee on a case of publication of a derogatory and defamatory article on Facebook about the executive governor of Akwa Ibom state and the visitor to the university.
“This act constitutes a breach of matriculation oath and violation of the university rules and regulations enshrined in the student information handbook. You are hereby expelled for this act of gross misconduct.
“You are required to submit to the dean, division of student affairs, your student identity card, and any other property of the university in your possession before your exit from the university.”
Ekpo however threatens to sue the university after giving them a seven-day period to restore his studentship or face legal actions.
In a document issued by Ekpo’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, Ekpo also demanded N20 million from the varsity as general damages for “the breach of his fundamental rights.”
The document also claimed that there was no time, the Akwa Ibom State University invite or summon our client to appear before the university’s Students’ Disciplinary Committee prior to his indefinite suspension.