Two hundred 14 [1] second-year law students at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) have filed a N5 billion [1] lawsuit challenging their removal from the faculty.
The legal action highlights a growing conflict between university administration and students over academic placement and the financial losses resulting from abrupt program changes.
The suit was filed this month in the Federal High Court in Abuja [1]. The plaintiffs named the University of Calabar, its Vice-Chancellor, and its Registrar as defendants. The lawsuit also names Nigerian President Bola Tinubu as a defendant [1].
According to the students, the university's directive to move them out of the Faculty of Law was unlawful [2]. They said the removal caused them significant academic and financial loss [2]. The students are seeking N5 billion [1] in damages as a result of these actions.
The students are second-year pupils who were previously enrolled in the law program before the university issued the directive to remove them [1]. The legal team for the students said the move lacks a lawful basis and disrupts their professional training.
University officials have not yet provided a detailed public response to the specific allegations in the court filing. The case now awaits a hearing in the Federal High Court to determine if the university overstepped its authority in managing its faculty enrollment [1].
“Two hundred 14 second-year law students at the University of Calabar have filed a N5 billion lawsuit.”
This lawsuit represents a significant escalation in student-university disputes in Nigeria, specifically by naming the head of state as a defendant. The outcome could set a legal precedent regarding the limits of university administrative power to alter student enrollments and the liability of institutions for the financial and academic damages caused by such decisions.
