The Nigerian Law School, on Wednesday justified its decision to expel its student in the Bwari, Abuja campus, Kayode Bello, after protesting against seat reservation in a lecture room.
A statement by the institution’s Head of Information and Protocol, Mr. Chinedu Ukekwe, said Bello was expelled for his “constant” disruptive conduct before, during and after the seat reservation crisis.
According to the statement, Bello had an antecedent of “negative behaviour” having been allegedly expelled by the University of Ibadan during the 2008/2009 academic session.
It stated that on the basis of that, his application to the Law School in 2012 was referred to the Council of Legal Education which resolved that the student should not be offered admission until 2017.
It also stated that as Bello’s “penchant for misbehaviour,” recently came to the fore when a Senior Advocate of Nigeria’s law firm, had to terminate Bello’s stay in the firm where he was attached during the just-concluded internship exercise by all students of the Law school.
On the incident leading to the expulsion of the student from the Law School, the statement stated that reports gathered from Bello’s colleagues indicated that the altercation that arose between the expelled student and a female student over a preferred seat was unfortunate as there were enough seats to go round all the students.
According to the statement, Bello was the one who left his seat and moved over to the one occupied by the female student who had only visited the toilet.
It stated that the Head of Students’ Affairs Department issued him a query for his “disorderly behaviour.”
It stated that Bello failed to address the issues and went into “irrelevant narration, alleging bias by the officials.”
It stated that the student went on to embark on a solo protest around the school premises wearing a polo shirt with “inciting inscriptions.”
He said the student’s “continued disruptive behaviour” raised concern among his colleagues, leading the Students Representative Council to issue “a disclaimer of his actions which was addressed to the Head of Academics on March 21, 2017.”
The statement added that following the disclaimer and “Bello’s continued acts of intransigence and nuisance in the hostel,” the Students’ Affairs Officer issued him another query, but he refused to accept it.
It added that due to “his estranged relationship with his colleagues; and to avoid any break down of law and peaceful co-existence,” a letter of advice was written to him “to vacate the hostel in his interest.”
Bello was said to have refused to accept the letter but chose to approach the Bwari Divisional Police Station to lay a complaint of criminal intimidation against the management of the Nigerian Law School, seeking the arrest of all the officers.
He was said to have urged the police to invite the Chairman, Council of Legal Education for interrogation.
The law school stated that as a result of the development, the student was invited, along with the female student he had an altercation with, the Chairman of the Students Representative Council and the Auditorium Marshall, to appear before the Students Misconduct Committee.
It stated that the committee probed the student’s alleged various infractions of the Students Code of Conduct.
It stated that the student received the letter of invitation but refused to acknowledge receipt of it and failed to appear before the Committee, despite repeated invitations.
It stated, “At conclusion of its deliberations, the Committee found Mr. Bello liable of the allegations against him. It noted that: ‘The Council of Legal Education was magnanimous in its decision to approve the admission of Mr. Bello to the Nigerian Law School,despite the adverse report from his university.’
“It further noted that: ‘Mr. Bello lacks the core attributes, disposition and comportment of an aspirant to the Bar.’
“It therefore recommended his expulsion from the Nigerian Law School.
“The report of the Committee was considered by the Council of Legal Education at its meeting of July 11, 2017, which approved the recommendations accordingly.”
