The Senate of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri FUTO at it’s 437th meeting held on Tuesday, July 3,2018 reinstated some students expelled as a result of their role in students demonstration of Friday 17,2017.
The re- admittance of the students is said to be outside a Court settlement sought by the defendants before Justice Lewis Allagoa Owerri Federal High Court on 19th October, 2017.
It would be recalled that Counsel to the defendants (FUTO and it’s Top Management Staff),Bar.U.O.Onyimadu Esq had on 19th October, 2017 sought for an Outside Court Settlement on the matter bordering on Illegal expulsion and abrupt termination of the academic exercise between the Plaintiffs (Ogbonna Collins and others) and the Defendants.
After reading the Application before the Honourable Court,Counsel to the Plaintiffs, Barr.Wisdom Durueke Esq.concoured to the Application and called for timely round-table discussions to enable his clients assess the campus and complete their different Five year programs as guaranteed by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board(JAMB) and FUTO.
Nine Students Activists namely Comr.Ogbonna Collins(FAT),Ugwu Collins Okey (OPT),Mmadu Nnamdi(OPT),Elvis Onuoha (AST), Kenneth Megwa (POT),Odunze Ebuka (CSC),Chizoba Ukaegbu(MTHS),Chike Fred Abraham (AST),Victor Ihuka(URP)were on March 3rd,2017,handed expulsion letters through various Heads of Departments, after a peace and re-conciliatory committee sat and recommended for their immediate expulsion after a students protest.
Some of the reasons for the protest ranged from hike in Fees, poor welfare conditions of the students, extortion and harassment Poor Welfare Conditions of Students by the teaching staff and security apparatus of the institution.
At Press time, all the affected Comrades have been notified of their Reinstatement Back To Campus, through the media organ of the institution.