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The suspended Deputy Dean of Student Affairs and Support Services at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Dr. Banji Olaleye, has alleged that his suspension over claims of student extortion was part of a pre-planned effort to remove him from office. Speaking in response to the allegations, Olaleye claimed the university’s current administration had sought his removal since assuming office in February, insisting that the decision to suspend him came before the investigation was concluded. However, the university, through its spokesperson Dr. Sunday Saanu, dismissed the allegations, describing them as false.
Olaleye maintained that he neither collected nor diverted any students’ money, explaining that he only intervened after the Dean of Student Affairs asked him to mediate a dispute over the collection of a ₦1,000 practical fee from 100-level students. According to him, he merely helped recover funds already collected by class representatives and ensured they were remitted to the Directorate of Entrepreneurship as instructed. He also claimed the investigative panel confirmed that the ₦1 million earmarked for student representatives was fully paid, contrary to earlier allegations that only ₦35,000 had been disbursed. He further argued that his suspension, which preceded the completion of the investigation and was followed by a formal query days later, unfairly damaged his reputation.
FUOYE management has maintained that the suspensions were necessary to allow a transparent investigation into allegations of the unauthorised collection of money from students. The university had earlier suspended Olaleye, the Director of the Directorate of Educational Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Olanrewaju Ogunjobi, and the Students’ Union Government President, James Adio, over claims that students were compelled to pay an unauthorised ₦1,000 levy. The institution says it remains committed to accountability and that investigations into the matter are ongoing.
