The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the University of Calabar (UNICAL) to restore access to lectures, academic portals and other facilities for 214 students removed from the institution’s Faculty of Law.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued the interlocutory injunction on Monday following arguments by lawyers representing the affected students and the university.
The order requires UNICAL to grant the students unrestricted access to lectures, their student portals and other academic facilities pending the determination of the substantive suit.
According to a statement by the students’ counsel, Bernard Okpi, the court also directed the parties to maintain the status quo and adjourned the case until November 25 for hearing.
During Monday’s proceedings, counsel to the university and other defendants, Jonas Abuo, told the court that although the defendants had been served with the necessary court processes, they were unable to file their response because the university’s Vice-Chancellor and Registrar were out of the country.
Abuo, who said he had filed a conditional memorandum of appearance, asked the court for an adjournment to enable the defendants to respond to the suit.
However, Okpi opposed the request, arguing that the defendants had been served on August 24 and had already exhausted the statutory 30-day period for filing their response.
He urged the court to proceed with the matter or, alternatively, grant the defendants an adjournment on the condition that they pay N2 million in costs and allow the students to move their application for an interlocutory injunction.
After hearing the submissions, Justice Abdulmalik granted the students’ application and ordered the parties to maintain the status quo.
The dispute followed UNICAL’s decision in August to remove 214 of its 435 second-year LL.B students from the Faculty of Law and return them to the departments where they were initially admitted.
The university had said only 221 of the 435 second-year students were formally admitted into the Law programme, while the remaining 214 gained entry into the faculty from other departments.
According to the university, the affected students would also be unable to gain admission to the Nigerian Law School if they continued studying Law under their existing admission status.
The affected students, however, challenged the decision, arguing that UNICAL had admitted them into the Law programme, collected their fees, registered them for Law courses and allowed them to sit examinations and progress in their studies.
They further claimed that the university subsequently directed them to undertake JAMB regularisation, which they completed after paying the required fees.
The students subsequently instituted the suit against UNICAL, Vice-Chancellor Offiong Offiong, the university registrar and President Bola Tinubu.
They are seeking N5 billion in damages and an order protecting their continued studies in the Faculty of Law.
The court has adjourned the matter until November 25 for hearing.
