Ochi said that some now skip meals or lectures, while others are forced into exploitative means just to get by.

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC), University of Ibadan (UI) Chapter, has condemned what it describes as a growing trend of insecurity and fee injustice on campus.

The group also berated the Students’ Union (SU) leadership for its silence and inaction in the face of rising hardship and inequality among students.

In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by Branch Secretary Nnamdi Ochi, the ERC expressed deep concern over the increasing reports of thefts—including missing phones and laptops—room break-ins, and harassment across hostels and reading areas of the university.

The group attributed these incidents to the deteriorating economic situation in the country and the failure of both the university administration and the Students’ Union to address pressing welfare concerns.

“While we do not in any way support criminality, the stark reality is that under the current economic hardship and declined campus welfare, many students are pushed to the brink of survival,” Ochi stated.

Ochi said that some now skip meals or lectures, while others are forced into exploitative means just to get by.

The group pointed fingers at the “anti-student policies” of the Tinubu-led federal government and the “insensitive” administration of Professor Kayode Adebowale, accusing them of creating a campus environment that is "suffocating for academic pursuit" due to skyrocketing fees, erratic electricity, and poor internet access.

Particularly troubling, the ERC said, is the situation at the College of Medicine, where 300-level students admitted via Direct Entry are being forced to pay higher fees than their peers at the same level.

The ERC described this as “discriminatory, unjust, and capable of breeding division among students who use the same facilities and access the same academic resources.”

The group called for the immediate reversal of the fee hike, improved welfare conditions, and enhanced campus security.

It also urged the university to establish democratic security committees involving student representatives to ensure transparency and accountability in campus safety efforts.

Further criticism was directed at the Covenant-led Students’ Union, which the ERC accused of abdicating its responsibility to defend students' interests.

They demand the convocation of a democratic Students’ Congress to deliberate on the fee hike, insecurity, and other issues affecting students.

ERC noted that the SU leadership must stop acting like an appendage of the university management and start championing the real interests of students.

The statement read, "We therefore call on the Students’ Union leadership to immediately intervene and demand a swift regularisation of the fees. No student should be penalised for the mode of their admission. Access to education must be equitable, and all policies that undermine this principle must be resisted.

"The ERC strongly condemns the continued silence and inaction of the Students’ Union leadership. Despite growing concerns and repeated calls by students and activist groups for the Union to intervene, particularly on pressing issues such as fee hike, fee disparity, rising insecurity on campus, and the deepening hardship faced by students, the SU leadership has chosen to remain silent.”

"This silence has no doubt emboldened the university management, which is now moving ahead with harsh policies, including the imposition of a registration deadline that threatens to exclude financially struggling students from sitting for the forthcoming semester examinations.  Also disturbing is the victimization of student activists, a clear attempt to make scapegoats of them and instill fear among the wider student body," Ochi explained.

"Such betrayal of student interest by those elected to defend it is unacceptable. The ERC calls for immediate action from the SU leadership to defend the rights and welfare of all students and to resist all forms of administrative intimidation and oppression,” it said.

"At the same time, ERC calls on all progressive students, activists, and organisations to intensify the call for accountability and resistance. It is important to note that rising crime on campus should not be used as an excuse to further militarise the university or criminalise struggling students, but as a wake-up call to address the root causes of suffering, inequality, and mismanagement.

"The ERC will continue to stand by students in the collective struggle for a just, equitable, and accessible education system.

"Our demands: Improve Security Measures on Campus, end the discriminatory fee regime at the College of Medicine and immediate reversal of the current fee hike including improvement in welfare condition on campus.

"A democratic and accountable Students’ Union without undue interference of the university administration and a student congress to discuss the state of welfare, fee hike, insecurity, and how to build a formidable resistance against attacks on the collective interest of students," Ochi added.