By Peter Dansu The call for justice returned to the streets of Lagos yesterday as civil society organisations, activists, lawyers and comm...
By Peter Dansu
The call for justice returned to the streets of Lagos yesterday as civil society organisations, activists, lawyers and community leaders gathered to mark the 2025 World Human Rights Day with a renewed demand for the reinstatement of five Lagos State University lecturers dismissed during the peak of the institution’s crisis with ASUU.
The rally, organised by the Nigerian Bar Association Ikeja Branch in collaboration with several civil society groups, turned into a powerful demonstration against what participants described as persistent human rights violations and an alarming decline in governance standards across the country. At the centre of their demands was the case of the “LASU Five”, ASUU executives sacked between 2017 and 2019 over what activists insist were trumped-up allegations linked to their union activities.
Dr Tony Dansu, former ASUU-LASU Secretary, and four other union officials were dismissed in 2019 in a manner many have repeatedly described as unlawful and a direct attack on academic freedom. Their case has remained unresolved despite investigations, appeals and a white paper that reportedly cleared them of wrongdoing.
One of the strongest voices at the rally was Mr. Olumayowa Abudu Akogun, a military veteran and former Labour Party chairmanship aspirant in Ojo. Addressing journalists and participants, he condemned what he called the “consistent pattern of rights violations” in Nigeria and accused the Lagos State Government and LASU management of deliberately suppressing justice in the case of the dismissed lecturers.
Olumayowa insisted the matter is no longer just an internal LASU issue but a national concern about the protection of human rights. He emphasised that the sacked lecturers are respected scholars with valuable contributions to make to education and society.
“Today is International Human Rights Day,” he said. “We are here to demand the protection of human rights. What happened to the LASU Five must not be allowed to stand. We have been on this agitation since 2019 and we will not stop until justice is done.”
The issue has remained topical, especially after LASU dismissed additional lecturers in July 2025 on allegations ranging from harassment to financial misconduct. While the university claims due process, many of the affected staff insist they are being victimised for standing up to the authorities.
In Badagry, the case has taken on an emotional dimension, particularly over the dismissal of Dr Tony Dansu. Sons and daughters of Ikoga-Zebbe Kingdom have publicly appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene. They described the dismissed lecturers as victims of wrongful and politically motivated decisions that have dragged on for years.
Their appeal extended beyond moral pleas. They called on the governor to lift what they described as an embargo on the implementation of the LASU Governing Council’s decision of February 23, 2022, when the council reinstated the lecturers after an appeal committee led by Prof Adenike Boyo cleared them of all offences. Shockingly, within 48 hours of that decision, the same governing council reversed itself and suspended the reinstatement, creating more confusion and prolonging the lecturers’ ordeal.
The affected ASUU officers include Dr Akinloye Isaac Oyewumi, Dr Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu, Dr Anthony Dansu, Dr Adeolu Oluwaseyi Oyekan and Dr Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare. They were accused of unauthorised removal and dissemination of official documents — allegations the appeal committee later dismissed.
Participants at the rally echoed the same sentiment, insisting that justice delayed has already become justice denied. They demanded not only full reinstatement but also payment of all accrued entitlements, restoration of seniority, and implementation of all missed promotions.
As the country marks World Human Rights Day, activists say the LASU Five have become a symbol of the larger fight for fairness, accountability and respect for the rule of law in Nigeria. The message from the rally was unmistakable, the struggle will continue until the dismissed lecturers return to their desks and the injustice of the past eight years is corrected.
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