…Group seeks proportionality, fair hearing, alternative penalties over viral hospital dance video
By Mudi Mohammed
The Speak Out for Justice Advocacy Ltd/Gte has appealed to the management of Madonna University, Elele Campus, Rivers State, to reconsider the expulsion of a final-year nursing student and the one-year suspension of 14 others over a viral social media video, warning that disciplinary measures should not unnecessarily destroy the academic and professional futures of young people.
The human rights advocacy organisation urged the university to embrace proportionality, fairness and compassion in resolving the controversy, while maintaining that students must be held accountable for breaches of professional ethics and institutional regulations.
In a press statement dated October 9, 2026, SOJA’s Founder and Executive Director, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, said the university should consider less severe disciplinary measures where appropriate, including formal warnings, ethics training, counselling and supervised remediation.
The appeal comes amid growing public reactions to the university’s decision to expel one 500-level nursing student and suspend 14 others for one year over a video showing nursing students dancing within the institution’s teaching hospital.
The video, which circulated widely on social media, was associated with a trend featuring healthcare workers dancing in clinical environments and reportedly carried the caption, “No fall sick o, na Gen Z full hospital now.”
The incident has triggered calls from student organisations and human rights advocates for the university to review the sanctions, with concerns raised over the consequences for students who have invested years in their education and are approaching the completion of their nursing programmes.
SOJA acknowledged that professional discipline was essential, particularly in nursing, where patient dignity, privacy, confidentiality and welfare must remain paramount.
However, Jimoh argued that the severity of disciplinary measures should be assessed against the nature of the misconduct, the individual circumstances of the students, their academic records and the availability of alternative corrective measures.
“Discipline must correct misconduct without unnecessarily destroying the future of young people,” he said.
The organisation maintained that expulsion and lengthy suspension, especially at an advanced stage of a degree programme, could have consequences extending beyond the immediate disciplinary objective, including the loss of years of academic effort, financial investment and future professional opportunities.
Cites Constitutional Safeguards
SOJA also invoked Nigeria’s constitutional and international human rights obligations, arguing that disciplinary proceedings should respect human dignity and the principles of fair hearing.
It cited Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution, which protects human dignity, and Section 36, which guarantees fair hearing in the determination of civil rights and obligations.
The organisation further referenced Articles 5 and 17 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, concerning human dignity and the right to education, as well as Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which recognises the right to education.
SOJA, however, acknowledged that these protections do not exempt students from reasonable university regulations or automatically invalidate disciplinary sanctions.
Rather, it argued that the exercise of disciplinary authority should be guided by procedural fairness, proportionality and respect for the legitimate educational interests of affected students.
The organisation called on Madonna University to review the sanctions individually, ensure that the students had meaningful opportunities to be heard and pursue any available internal appeals, and consider alternative penalties where justified by the circumstances.
It also urged the institution to strengthen training on patient confidentiality, professional ethics, digital responsibility and respect for human dignity to prevent similar incidents.
Wider Calls for Clemency
SOJA’s intervention follows appeals by the National Association of Nigerian Students and the Nigerian Universities Nursing Students’ Association for the university to reconsider its decision.
NANS has urged the institution to replace the expulsion with a stern warning, arguing that the punishment could have lasting consequences for the affected students’ academic careers and professional aspirations.
NUNSA has also called for constructive engagement and a fair review of the disciplinary measures, disclosing that it had commenced discussions with relevant stakeholders to represent the interests of the affected students.
Amnesty International has similarly urged the university to reverse the sanctions, describing them as disproportionate and advocating dialogue and mediation.
The controversy has generated contrasting reactions, with some Nigerians arguing that nursing students must uphold the highest standards of professional conduct, particularly within hospital environments, while others believe the sanctions should be reconsidered in view of the students’ stage of academic progression.
SOJA stressed that its appeal should not be interpreted as an endorsement of misconduct but as a call for accountability that takes into consideration the consequences of punishment.
“A university should uphold standards while remaining an institution of learning, correction and human development,” the organisation said.
It added that protecting patients and maintaining professional discipline were compatible with offering students a second chance where the circumstances justified it.
SOJA urged the university management to exercise its discretion with wisdom and compassion, giving the affected students an opportunity to learn from the incident and rebuild their professional futures, subject to appropriate safeguards and accountability.
