Take It Back Movement Demands End to Victimization of UI Student Activists

The Take It Back Movement (TIB) has issued a stern warning to the University of Ibadan (UI), condemning the ongoing victimization of student protesters and threatening mass resistance if the university does not immediately cease its crackdown on student activists.

In a letter dated June 30, 2025, addressed to the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale, the TIB expressed outrage over the disciplinary actions and military intimidation faced by students who participated in a peaceful protest during the inauguration of the Students’ Union on May 13, 2024.

Signed by Dimeji Salako, Acting State Coordinator of the TIB in Oyo State, the letter voiced opposition to the university’s management abuse of institutional power, by targeting students exercising their constitutional rights to protest, organize, and express dissent.

“This is a disgraceful abuse of institutional power. These students are not criminals. They are not vandals. They are not threats. They are citizens exercising their constitutional rights to protest, organize, and express dissent,” the statement read.

According to the letter, students including Comrades Ayodele Aduwo and Mide Gbadegesin had peacefully protested the rising cost of education and the commercialization of public universities in Nigeria. Rather than address their concerns, the university allegedly responded with force and intimidation.

TIB further revealed that the students were not only harassed by security personnel but were also handed over to the Nigerian Army in what it called “an outrageous and cowardly act of intimidation.”

Since the incident, the students have reportedly been subjected to a prolonged series of disciplinary proceedings. The letter notes that the latest round of summons was issued just last week, with only two of the affected students — Aduwo and Gbadegesin — confirmed to have received them so far.

It also stated that these summonses are indicative of a larger plan by the university to escalate tensions on campus and suppress dissent.

“No university worthy of its name should respond to civic engagement with brute force and bureaucratic punishment,” TIB declared.

The movement warned that if any student is suspended, expelled, or otherwise punished for participating in the protest or expressing dissent, it would mobilize mass resistance both within the University of Ibadan and across the country.

“Let this serve as a final warning. The time of quietly observing injustice has passed. We will not allow any institution — no matter how old or revered — to bully students into silence while fees skyrocket and public education collapses,” the letter continued.

TIB accused the university of moving closer to becoming a “militarized, authoritarian outpost that treats dissent as a threat rather than a duty of intellectual life.”

Demands Issued by TIB

The movement outlined three immediate demands:

1. A complete halt to all disciplinary proceedings against Aduwo, Gbadegesin, and any other affected student.
2. A public apology from the university for the physical assault and unlawful handover of students to the military.
3. Concrete guarantees that students’ rights to protest and organize will be respected going forward.

Reaffirming the movement’s commitment to defending student activism, the Take It Back Movement concluded the letter with a bold declaration:
“We will not relent. We will not retreat. And we will resist every move to criminalize student activism anywhere in Nigeria.”