Falana stated this while
speaking as a chairman at the Colloquium on the Shrinking Media and Civic Space
in Nigeria in Lagos, on Thursday.
Popular human rights
activist lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN has said he will be the legal representative
of Ifemosu Adewale in court, a student of Federal University of Agriculture
Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, who was expelled over a post on Facebook.
Adewale had on July 12
posted an open letter on his Facebook page calling the attention of the
Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB, to some pertinent issues like the incessant robbery
of students’ hostels, indiscriminate arrest, and the lack of adequate
transportation system on the school’s main campus.
FUNAAB’s management was
said to be annoyed by the letter and expelled Adewale, claiming that he had
breached the school’s moral code.
Falana while speaking at
the event said he had spoken with Adewale and the case would be taken to court.
According to him, “A young
man just met me now that he wants to take his school to court.
“He wrote an article on
armed robbery case in FUNAAB and the school authority felt offended and
rusticated him.
“I have asked him to see me
next Tuesday. We will take up the case and we will go to court.”
Adewale who is a 200 level
student of forestry and wildlife management department of FUNAAB however, said
his intention was to bring an end to the security challenges and lingering
transportation issues that students were facing and not to disrespect the institution
in his letter.
Speaking with PM News,
Adewale said he highlighted the problems that students were facing and also
listed the possible solutions but all he got in return was an expulsion letter.
“I got a call from the
Chief Security Officer of the same day I posted the letter on my facebook, that
was Friday and when I got to his office on Monday I was told to write a
statement on why I wrote an open letter.
“I was later invited by the
Dean of Student Affairs and when I got there, they gave me a letter and in that
letter, I was told to respond in writing why they should not charge me with
gross misconduct and in my response I wrote that I did not have any intention
to tarnish the school’s image. This is my school, the school I represent, all I
was asking for is the transportation system to work, this is what affects all
students.
“I responded and they still
wrote me back to answer why they should not charge me with gross misconduct
within 24 hours, and by that time, I was busy preparing for my wedding and
could not settle down to write them but I went to meet the Dean of Student
Affairs and others to beg them.
“Everything was going
normal and I started going to my class until August 28 and I was invited to
face the SDC panel the following day, I reside in Kwara State and I rushed down
to Abeokuta and I got there I was told to substantiate what I wrote and did.
“I explained myself but
they said no, they were just passionate about the fact that I abused them, I
insulted them. They finally asked what I want them to do for me and I appealed
to them to work on that highlighted problems in my letter”, he narrated.
Adewale said after the
meeting, he was not contacted until November when he was given his letter of
expulsion by one of his lecturers.
“I seized to be a student
on November 1st, but October 18th was on the expulsion letter. You should be
there to see my mood, everything changed.”
He, however, said now that
the news was everywhere and concerned Nigerians are coming to his aide, he’s
optimistic that he will get justice.
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