Emelayo Nwosu
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, has petitioned the Minister of Education and the National Universities Commission, NUC, over a viral video of alleged brutalisation of a student at the Coal City University, Enugu.
Describing the video evidence of the alleged brutallization of the student, simply known as Miss Divine, as “disturbing,” RULAAC said no student should be subjected to such treatment.
RULAAC’s statement reads,
“The videos circulating in the public domain are deeply troubling and appear to show a young female student being subjected to physical assault and degrading treatment by university officials.
“Equally disturbing are reports that the victim was subsequently suspended for one year, while two students who recorded the incident and preserved evidence were suspended for six months.
“No educational institution has the right to subject students to torture, assault, humiliation, or any form of degrading treatment.
“Such actions violate the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and undermine the values that educational institutions are expected to uphold.
“We are also concerned by allegations of prolonged disruption of academic activities, unpaid lecturers, inadequate teaching arrangements, and the collection of fees for services allegedly not provided.
“These claims warrant urgent investigation by the relevant authorities.”
The organization called on the Minister of Education to conduct an independent investigation into the incident, and ensure accountability for any official found responsible for the alleged assault.
It also demanded the reversal of the one-year suspension imposed on the student, Miss Divine.
RULAAC went further to call for the lifting of the six-month suspensions imposed on the two student whistleblowers who exposed the incident.
Other demands made by the organization were investigation of allegations relating to academic disruptions, unpaid lecturers, and student welfare, as well as the strengthening of oversight mechanisms to protect students from abuse and retaliation.
“Universities should be places of learning, safety, and respect for human dignity—not environments where students are subjected to violence or punished for exposing wrongdoing,” RULAAC insisted.
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