ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi has been ordered by the Court of Appeal, Jos Division to reinstate one of its students, Victor Oboh, whom it illegally expelled seven years ago over accusation of examination malpractice.
The Appellate Court also ordered the institution pay the 300L student N1.1 million as damages.
Oboh, the Plaintiff, had filed a suit against the University in 2013 at the Federal High Court in Bauchi challenging his expulsion by the management.
The presiding Judge, Justice Shittu Abubakar, after scrutiny, on May 17, 2018 ruled in favour of the plaintiff that his expulsion “is hereby voided and nullified.”
He then ordered the defendant to pay a sum of N1 million as general damages to Oboh.
He also ordered that, the plaintiff be re-instated to continue his study with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, ATBU, on June 1st, 2018 challenged the ruling of the Federal High Court and approached the Appeal Court, Jos Division.
In a copy of judgement passed by a three-man panel led by Justice Tani Hassan and obtained by our Correspondent, the Appellate Court upheld the ruling of the Bauchi High Court.
“The appeal failed and it is dismissed. That the judgement passed by Justice Shittu Abubakar hereby affirmed,” Justice Hassan said.
He ordered that ATBU pay Victor a sum of N100,000. In total, the university will pay the student N1,100,000 and reinstate him to further his undergraduate programme.
The plaintiff, while reacting to the judgement, said he fought the battle to clean his name from the accusation.
He said: “Just within 3 minutes after commencement of an examination, an invigilator accused me of malpractice and asked me to fill form in that regard which I declined and I was expelled.”
Oboh said he would return to the school to further his undergraduate in engineering “with immediate effect.”
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