UNILORIN Allegedly Expelled Final Year Student Without Due Process

By Adejumo Kabir

A final year student of department of Vetinary Surgery and Radiology, Faculty of Vetinary Medicine at the University of Ilorin, Alada Aliyu Babatunde with the matriculation number 14/32TA069 has been expelled by institution authority for alleged examination misconduct.

According to the expulsion letter signed by the office of the Registrar, Modupe Olowoleni on July 12, 2018, Mr Babatunde was expelled after the Students Disciplenary Committee found him guilty of examination misconduct.

The university said the student was caught with Blackberry cell phone containing materials relevant to the examination on written during the rain semester of 2016/2017 academic session, an allegations which the students denied.

Mr. Babatunde who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES said he responded to the allegation through a letter to the Students' Disciplenary Committee denying that he did not exhibit any act of misconduct during examination.

In a statement of occurrence sent to the panel in February and obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Babatunde claimed that the cell phone obtained by the invigilator was not with him during the examination.

"It is worthy to note that the phone was switched off while charging and kept in a place very far from my reach (at the window side with the view not to be stolen) when the invigilator saw it and took it while the exam was going on"

"As I look forward to your compassionate consideration on the regrettable mistake of keeping the switched off phone close to the examination hall, I also tender my apology that it was not intended for any form of examination malpractice or misconduct", his letter to the panel read.

The student also noted that the invigilator was not called to testify against him during the disciplenary commitee sittings.

"The witness, the testimony of my accuser (invigilator) was not garthered against me nor my phone nor was the phone or allged materials viewed in my presence to gaurantee fair hearing despite the demand of the chairperson of the SDC, Professor N. Y. S. Ijaya to see the invigilator to ensure fair hearing and just conclusion who was not present at the session through out my trial."

Mr. Babatunde further said in his appeal that chief invigilator at the centre was never informed of any examination misconduct in accordance to the university guideline.

"I was surprised that the SDC could have drawn some recommendations to the Vice Chancellor in a case where no real proceeding was ever conducted"

He, however appealed to the authority to save his academic endeavors.

Also, some students present during the examination and university official who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES said Mr. Babatunde suffering for "honest human error"

One of the students who simply identified herself as Rukayat said: "we are all surprised to here that Alada Aliyu Babatunde is expelled. I was present in the class the day he was alleged. The phone was very far away from any student and the invigilator never questioned him. To hear that he is being punished for speaks volume of the system.

"I'm sure if some of us are called to give account of what transpired, he won't have been expelled".

An official of the university who pleaded anonymity said: "if due process is followed, the student should not be expelled. He made mistake but since he was not caught cheating, a lesser punishment should have been awarded. But you know we are in the system, we can question authority"

Meanwhile, efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to get the reaction of the university management proved abortive as the Vice Chancellor, Sulaiman Age did not respond to calls and text messages sent to him 24 hours after we seek clarification on the matter