The National Association of Nigerian Students has appealed to the management of Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Kogi State, to review the one-year suspension imposed on four students over a campus fight, but made no reference to two other students expelled over alleged gay practice.
It was earlier reported that the university expelled two students and rusticated four others for one academic session after its Students’ Disciplinary Committee found them culpable of separate offences.
While NANS condemned violence and all forms of misconduct on campuses, its intervention focused solely on the four suspended students, urging the institution to adopt a more compassionate approach that would not permanently disrupt their education.
In a statement signed by its National Treasurer, Asmawu Idris, on Monday, the association said disciplinary measures should not only be lawful and proportionate but should also consider the long-term impact on students’ futures. NANS said it had taken note of the disciplinary action reportedly taken by the university’s management against students alleged to have been involved in a campus fight, adding that while it unequivocally condemned violence, fighting and every other form of misconduct in institutions of learning, it firmly believed that such measures should go beyond legality and proportionality to also take into account the long-term consequences for the affected students’ futures.
The association expressed particular concern that some of the affected students were female and reportedly first-time offenders. It noted that it was especially troubled by reports that some female students had been handed a one-year suspension, stressing that without seeking to excuse indiscipline or undermine the university’s authority, it was respectfully appealing to the management to temper justice with mercy. NANS urged the institution to consider alternative disciplinary measures that would still serve the purposes of correction and deterrence, without unduly disrupting the students’ academic pursuits and future aspirations, particularly given that they were reportedly first-time offenders.
The student body also offered to engage with the university in pursuit of what it described as a fair, balanced and compassionate resolution.
