Benue Varsity suspends 200 – 600 level medical students yesterday

Medical students at levels 200 to 600 at Benue State University (BSU) in Makurdi, Nigeria, were suspended for one month yesterday.

You may recall that on October 25, 2023, the aggrieved students staged a protest against the administration for what they alleged was a lack of water and proper hostel accommodation.

The school’s registrar, Dr. Mfaga Modom, issued a statement telling the affected students to leave their dorms at 8 a.m. today and return on November 29, 2023.

The statement says, in part, that “the Management Committee has reviewed the recent actions of 200 to 600 level Medical Students and has also carefully reviewed the reports from the Dean of Students, the Coordinator of Security, and Resolutions that arose from the meeting between the Management Committee and Academic Staff of the College of Health Sciences regarding the Students demonstration on Wednesday, 25 October 2023.”

“Management Committee also noted with dismay the obstinate attitude of these Medical Students prior to, during, and after the demonstration and resolved as follows: Management Committee will constitute an Investigative Committee to look into the remote and immediate causes of the demonstration and advise as appropriate.”

The several committees investigating the student protest have issued reports with recommendations that should be implemented by the College of Health Sciences’ Top Management Committee.

The College of Health Sciences has issued a month-long suspension beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, October 30, 2023, for all medical students in levels 200 to 600. Classes will resume on Wednesday, November 29, 2023.

Each returning student is required to present a sworn affidavit from a legal authority attesting to his or her good behaviour before classes may resume. Each kid is also required to have a parent or legal guardian present to sign an agreement.

Until further notice, the Benue State University Medical Students Association (BESUMSA) is inactive. All medical students from the 200-600 level are required to be out of their dorms by 10 a.m. on Monday, October 30, 2023. The College of Health Sciences’ 100-level students’ classes will continue as scheduled.