Due to accusations of unlawful student money collecting, the administration of Federal University Oye-Ekiti in Ekiti State has suspended the President of the Students' Union Government and two senior officials.

Mufutau Ibrahim, the university's registrar, revealed the development in a statement on Tuesday, stating that the action was taken in response to claims that certain students were forced to pay an unapproved tax.

Olanrewaju Ogunjobi, the director of the Directorate of Educational Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship; Banji Rildwan Olaleye, the deputy dean of student affairs and support services; and James Iyanuoluwa Adio, the president of SUG, are among the personnel impacted, according to Ibrahim.

He claims that Ogunjobi and Olaleye were charged in a petition with obtaining N1,000 from every 100-level student allegedly for the directorate's practical sessions.

“In the interest of fairness and in accordance with the principles of natural justice, management constituted a preliminary fact-finding committee to look into the allegations,” Ibrahim said.

He said that every person included in the petition was invited by the committee and given the chance to address the accusations.

“All persons mentioned in the petition were invited to appear before the committee. They were duly questioned and given the opportunity to respond to the allegations made against them,” he added.

According to the registrar, Ogunjobi reportedly approved and collected the payments without getting the required approvals from the university authorities, according to the committee's conclusions.

“With respect to Ogunjobi, the committee found that he allegedly authorised and collected the sum of one thousand naira from each affected student without recourse to the senate, management, or the university’s extant directives that all payments must be made through the bursary and with the approval of management,” Ibrahim said.

Despite holding a crucial position inside the university's student affairs organization, he further claimed that Olaleye was involved in the collection process.

The registrar said that the SUG president was also connected to the issue.

Adio was allegedly indirectly involved in the management of the money, according to Ibrahim, who claimed that he took part in the original sharing of the monies and then asked for a return, which allegedly led to the transfer of N700,000 into his personal bank account.

The accusations, according to the university administration, are at odds with its dedication to responsibility and openness.

“The university will not tolerate the extortion of students, abuse of office, financial impropriety, or corruption in any form,” Ibrahim stated.

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