The Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has issued stern contempt notices to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Kayode Adebowale, and several top officials, warning that they risk imprisonment for disobeying a subsisting court judgment regarding a postgraduate student, Mr. Kayode Bello.
In the Form 48 contempt notice dated November 26, 2025 and signed by the Court Registrar, the court cautioned the officials—including the Registrar, Mr. Ganiu Saliu; Provost of the Postgraduate College, Prof. Ayo Ogunjuyigbe; Head of the Department of Communication and Language Arts, Dr. Bisi Olawuyi; and ICT Head of the Postgraduate College, Mr. Biodun Ajayi—of the consequences of continued disobedience.
The warning follows the court’s judgment delivered on October 17, 2025 in Suit No. FHC/IB/CS/119/2024, which ordered UI to immediately restore Bello’s access to his student portal and include his name on the university’s postgraduate graduation list.
Justice Evelyn Maha had affirmed Bello’s eligibility for graduation, directing the institution to restore his portal access to enable him complete registration and fulfil all requirements for his Master’s degree in Communication and Language Arts.
However, as of press time, Bello’s portal remained inaccessible, still returning an “invalid username or password” message—an action the court described as outright defiance of its ruling.
The contempt notice read in part: “TAKE NOTICE that unless you obey the direction contained in the attached judgment dated October 17, 2025, you will be guilty of contempt of court and liable to be committed to prison.”
It further emphasised that the continued blockage of the student’s portal despite clear judicial directives amounted to wilful disobedience.
Newsmen earlier reported that the university officials had refused to comply with the judgment. The court also dismissed their application for a stay of execution, ruling on November 14, 2025 that the respondents failed to show any exceptional grounds to justify halting the enforcement.
Though the Senate of the University of Ibadan had approved Bello’s results for graduation in 2024, his name was reportedly removed from the graduation list by Prof. Ogunjuyigbe without explanation, resulting in a protracted legal battle.
Bello’s academic access was initially blocked in 2021, forcing him to seek judicial intervention. The 2025 ruling was widely viewed as a victory for the student—yet implementation remains stalled four years after the dispute began.
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