News
Teesside varsity expels Nigerian students over tuition fees,, ordered them to leave UK
A group of Nigerian students have been thrown off university courses and ordered to leave the United Kingdom after they struggled to pay tuition fees on time, BBC reports.
The Teesside University students have said the devaluation of the naira has made it difficult for them to pay their tuition fees, leading to a breach of visa sponsorship requirements.
As a result, some students have been blocked from their studies, reported to the Home Office, and ordered to leave the UK.
The university claims it has no choice but to take this action, citing strict external regulations.
Affected students have expressed their distress and disappointment, feeling that the university is being “heartless” and not providing adequate support.
• Teesside University
The group of 60 students, who chose to share their names with the BBC, banded together to urge the university to offer support after several of their peers faced severe consequences for defaulting on payments.
These students were abruptly locked out of their university accounts and forcibly withdrawn from their courses.
Adenike Ibrahim, a student who was close to graduating, had her visa revoked and was told to leave the country, despite having paid 90% of her tuition fees.
Adenike Ibrahim
“I did default [on payments], but I’d already paid 90% of my tuition fees and I went to all of my classes,” she told BBC.
“I called them and asked to reach an agreement, but they do not care what happens to their students.
“It has been heartbreaking for my son especially, he has been in so much distress since I told him,” Ibrahim added.
Esther Obigwe, another affected student, has been struggling with depression due to the situation.
She claims she repeatedly tried to speak to the university about her financial struggles but received no response until she was blocked from her studies and received notice to leave the country.
Obigwe said, “I attended all of my classes and seminars, I’m a hell of an active student.
“It is disheartening, I am now on antidepressants and being here alone, I have nobody to talk to.
“For over two months, I’ve barely eaten or slept and I don’t understand why this is being meted at us, we didn’t do anything wrong.”
Jude Salubi, a student pursuing a degree in social work, was suddenly informed that his access to the university would be suspended and that he would be required to leave the country, despite being in the middle of a critical placement.
Salubi said he commuted from Teesside to Liverpool every weekend, working 18 hours to try to settle his outstanding fees
“As of now I have paid £14,000 and have a balance of £14,000.
“I am willing to come to an agreement as to how I will make this payment, but I need guarantees that I will be re-enrolled into school and my visa restored,” he said.
A university spokesman said, “Teesside University is proud to be a global institution with a diverse student population but is also very aware of its obligations regarding visa issuance and compliance.
“These strict external regulations ensure that the university fully supports a robust immigration system and is outside of the university’s control.”
The spokesman acknowledged that the university is aware of the financial struggles faced by some students and has proactively offered customised payment plans to those who have requested them.
“This option has been taken up by many of our international students; however, some students have still defaulted on these revised payment plans,” he said.
The Home Office clarified that the decision to grant or withdraw visa sponsorship lies with the sponsoring institution
In cases where a visa is shortened or cancelled, individuals are advised to either regularise their stay or make arrangements to depart the UK, a spokesman told BBC
The traditional ruler of Akumarun Okoloke town, in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi state, Oba J.D. Ogunyanda, has been abducted by gunmen.
Okoloke, a peaceful town situated along the Egbe-Patigi road in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, is an active food production community renowned for its rich cultural heritage.
The Monarch, who is a second class traditional ruler was said to have been kidnapped in his Palace, in the early hours of Thursday by the gunmen, who are believed to be Fulani herders.
Sources, who confirmed the development to BusinessDay, disclosed that the ruler was taken away by the gunmen numbering about 30 to an unknown destination.
As of the time of filing this report, his abductors have yet to make contact with the community or demand for ransom.
“The state of things in our land is dire, with fear hindering entry and progress despite its potential. We cry out to God for deliverance, believing that heaven helps those who help themselves.
“The sons and daughters of Okoloke and Yagba West are demanding security, justice and the safe return of our beloved monarch”, Moses Ayodele, a resident of the community, told our correspondent.
It would be recalled that there has been an escalation in the activities of terrorists and bandits in the Western Area of Kogi State in recent times.
Many people in the area have been forced to abandon their farms and houses, and are relocating out of the locality.
Youth wing of apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has described as unacceptable the decision by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, to fix a fresh examination for those affected by what it called errors in the recently released results.
JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, had on Wednesday admitted that errors led to the low score of candidates in the five South-East states and Lagos State.
The Board then said arrangement had commenced to reschedule the exam for the affected candidates.
But, in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike said the arrangement was totally unacceptable.
Okwu said it was a disservice for JAMB to subject the candidates to “another round of mental torture, stress and risk” for no fault of theirs.
“We want to state unequivocally that our people will not accept any fresh examination, having already been subjected to mental torture by JAMB.
“The candidates are not in the right frame of mind to undergo another examination, having been subjected to mental torture ever since the fake results were announced.
“Besides, who is going to bear the cost? The same parents who are facing severe financial challenges?
“What of the risk of moving to the examination locations, in a country ravaged by insecurity?” Okwu queried.
He declared that, “having said this, we demand that JAMB should allocate 300 score to all the South-East candidates affected by its own error not that of the candidates. Igbos are very brilliant people and could have made 300 and above.
“It was a deliberate design to punish the people of the South-East, clearly to deny them education opportunities.
“Should JAMB fail to heed to our request, we shall not hesitate to drag them to court, no form of crocodile tears by the Registrar will save the Board.”
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported a slight decline in Nigeria’s headline inflation rate, which eased to 23.71 percent in April 2025 from 24.23 percent recorded in March.
The Bureau released the latest figures in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) update on Thursday.
According to the agency, the movement for April 2025 “headline inflation rate showed a decrease of 0.52% compared to the March 2025 Headline inflation rate”.
“On a month-on-month basis, the Headline inflation rate in April 2025 was 1.86%, which was 2.04% lower than the rate recorded in March 2025 (3.90%),” NBS said.
“This means that in April 2025, the rate of increase in the average price level is lower than the rate of increase in the average price level in March 2025.”
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