The Management of Nasarawa state University, Keffi, has described as “malicious and misleading” reports circulating on various social media handles and blogs that the university has rusticated 37 students for one academic session due to alleged involvement in “criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance of public peace, and cyber-stalking”.
In a press statement issued by the Head of Protocol Department of the University, Comrade Jaafar Abdullahi Abubakar, condemned the fake news.
He said, “We are dismayed and disappointed that these media outlets and bloggers did not bother to carry out the simplest form of due diligence before publishing their spurious and sensationalized stories. This lack of professionalism and integrity is alarming and has caused unnecessary panic and harm to the reputation of the University and its students”.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state categorically that no student has been rusticated officially from the University. The committee constituted to investigate the alleged infractions committed by these 37 students has not submitted its report to management for further action. Therefore, any claims of rustication are preemptive, diversionary, and utterly false.
“We assure all students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, that the University management, under the leadership of Professor Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, remains committed to upholding the fundamental rights of students to freedom of speech and association. However, we will not tolerate any actions that threaten the peace, security, and stability of the University community.
“We appeal to students who have been invited by the Committee to cooperate fully and await the final outcome of the report, which promises to be fair and firm. We also urge our professional colleagues in the media to exercise restraint and do due diligence on reports before going to press.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that Nasarawa State University, Keffi, remains a beacon of academic excellence, integrity, and responsible citizenship.”
