Tension has assailed the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) as a group of law students petitioned the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Council of Legal Education (CLE), alleging that the Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Roland Otaru (SAN), was awarded a “fraudulent” professorship of Law by the institution.
The petition, dated December 7, 2025, and signed by Comrade K. Akanbi (S.A.L.), described the alleged conferment as “academic fraud and complete abnormality,” accusing the university management of violating established academic procedures.
According to the students, Otaru, an Ilorin-based Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) – does not possess the academic qualifications or scholarly record required for professorial elevation.
They further claimed he obtained his PhD in Law only two years ago from a private university in Ogun State and has never taught, supervised, or examined postgraduate law students in any Nigerian university, criteria they insist are mandatory for promotion to Associate Professor or Professor.
The petitioners further alleged that the process was tainted by “financial inducement,” accusing FUOYE of commercializing an academic rank that should be awarded strictly on the basis of research output, teaching experience, and contributions to legal scholarship.
They issued a mid-January 2026 deadline for the NUC and CLE to commence a full investigation or face a week-long protest, insisting that law students would no longer remain quiet while “the university’s professorial title is traded for political and professional patronage.”
The students also claimed that several lecturers within the Faculty of Law are aware of the alleged irregularities but have remained silent out of fear of institutional reprisals.
FUOYE management and Otaru could not be reached for comments before press time.
