File photo: A crowded classroom at the Law School in Abuja
A student, Kayode Bello, has been expelled by the Nigerian Law
School, Bwari, Abuja, after he allegedly had an argument with a fellow
student, identified simply as Chidima, over seat reservation in a
lecture room.
According to Punch Metro, the graduate of University of Ibadan, Oyo
State, was reportedly bundled out of the school’s library by law school
officials and policemen attached to the Bwari Police Station on the day
he was expelled.
It was learnt that Bello’s issue with the school management started
shortly after he gained admission into the institution in November
2016.
It was gathered that he complained to the Secretary to the Council
of Legal Education, Mrs. Elizabeth Max-Uba, over the leakage of the
sewage pipe in his room’s toilet.
He said he also reported to the secretary that the water system in
rooms in the hostel was not functioning, adding that his complaints were
not attended to.
The 34-year-old told Punch Metro that the events that led to his
expulsion started on March 15, 2017, when he went to the class for a
morning lecture.
“The class is usually overcrowded. There are no enough chairs
in the lecture room and we have issues over seat reservation. At a
point, the Head Marshal, Mr. Akinyemi, announced publicly that there
should not be seat reservation again because it was causing problems.
“That day, I met Chidima and other persons sitting on some
chairs. There was a book on a vacant chair. As I made to sit on the
vacant chair, Chidima said she was keeping the seat for a student. I
said I would leave when the person came.
“When the lady came 20 minutes later, Chidima angrily told me
to vacate the seat. I told her that her approach was wrong. In the
process, a marshal came and took both of us to Mr. Akinyemi’s office. He
asked me to look for another seat. I made him to realise that he was
the one that gave an order on seat reservation, but he ignored me.
“I went to report the matter to the school’s Chief Security
Officer, Mr. Ogunboyan, but he was not in the office. I called him on
the telephone and he asked me to be patient, saying he would address it
when he came back.”
Bello said the CSO took him to Akinyemi later that day and the Head Marshal complained that he (Bello) was rude.
“I said I was not rude, but was trying to let him (Akinyemi)
realise that he didn’t do justice to the matter brought before him,” he added.
Bello said both officials flared up at that point and Akinyemi
threatened him with a query. He stated that he immediately submitted a
petition on the issue at the secretary’s office, adding that she did not
acknowledge it.
He said he also sent the same petition to the email of the Nigerian Law School without getting a reply.
He said Akinyemi announced the query in the class the following day and gave him a copy, which he replied to.
“I also made my response known to the class. He issued the
query and signed it on behalf of the Dean of Students’ Affairs, which is
wrong,” Bello said.
He said the officials suddenly turned the matter against him,
accusing him of inciting students against the school management, adding
that his room was inspected on March 20, but nothing incriminating was
found.
Bello explained that the Students’ Representative Council was also influenced to issue a disclaimer against him.
“On March 21, the CSO and the Head of Academic Affairs, Mr.
Osamolu, came to my room in the midnight and forcefully evicted me. I
paid over N300,000 as school fee, of which N60,000 was for hostel
accommodation. They handed me over to policemen at the school’s police
post. When I explained what happened to a policeman, he was surprised.
He gave me a space to pass the night.
“When I returned to the hostel the following day, I met the
door of my room broken, while my bed had been taken away. I reported at
the Bwari Police Station, but a policewoman I met there requested money
to buy a case file, which I declined to provide.
“My lawyer wrote to the secretary about my victimisation, but
she didn’t reply. I also petitioned the Public Complaints Commission,
which wrote to the Nigerian Law School.
“The SRC later withdrew the disclaimer privately, but they had
endangered my life and allowed the school management to capitalise on
it. I said the SRC chairman should resign as a punitive measure for the
disclaimer, while a fresh committee be set up to look into my case. They
said it was not possible for the chairman to resign.”
He said he kept sleeping in the open room until they went for
externship (attachment to law firms and courts) in April 24, adding that
his application for hostel accommodation during the programme was
rejected by the school.
He said, “We returned from externship on July 12. I was in the
library on July 17 preparing for Portfolio Assessment which started the
next day when the CSO led some people to give me a letter of expulsion
to sign. I rejected it. They called for reinforcement and I was dragged
out of the library and taken to the Bwari Police Station, where I had
earlier lodged a complaint against the school without any action.
“They said they would charge me to court; I was happy. I was
detained. They later released me after I signed an undertaking that
there would be peace.”
The representative of UI graduates in the SRC, Patrick Oyakhare,
confirmed to our correspondent that the SRC regretted issuing the
disclaimer.
“I met with Kayode (Bello) to tell me what he wanted. He said
the committee that sat on his matter should be reconstituted while the
chairman should resign. I presented it at a meeting. The first condition
was agreed to, but it is not possible for the chairman to resign. It is
only the school that can comment on his expulsion,” he added.
Some students, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Bello was expelled because the school authorities saw him as a threat.
A student said, “Kayode is 100 per cent right about his
complaints over the poor state of the facilities in the school. All the
students are aware, but no one has the confidence to challenge the
school. It is just unfortunate that Nigeria is a country where it is
difficult to fight an institution and win.”
Another student described the fate of students in the institution as “a baby that is being spanked, but dares not cry.”
“You can come to the school to see the state of the facilities
yourself. Bello may be blamed for challenging the school authorities,
but he was fighting for a right course,” he added.
When contacted on the telephone, the CSO directed our correspondent to the Secretary to the Council of Legal Education.
Asked what actually led to Bello’s expulsion, the Secretary,
Max-Uba, said the management would issue a statement on the issue on
Monday (today).
An official of Public Complaint Commission, who did not want his
name in print because he was not authorised to speak to the press, said
the commission wrote to the Nigerian Law School over a month ago, adding
that he and his team visited the school when there was no reply to the
letter.
“We went there on a Friday, a day after the school had its
call-to-bar ceremony. We waited for about 15 minutes, but could not see
either the Director-General of the law school, the secretary or the
Dean, Students’ Affairs. He has told me about the expulsion. We will go
back by Wednesday,” he added.
The Police Public Relations Officer for the Abuja Police Command,
Anjuguri Mensah, promised to make enquiries from the Bwari division and
get back with comments.
He had, however, yet to get back as of press time.
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