In a stunning conclusion to a protracted legal battle that spanned over a decade, Enobong Bassey Okon, a law graduate of the University of Uyo, has emerged victorious at the Supreme Court of Nigeria against his alma mater, triumphing in a case that challenged the denial of his law degree.
The case, which began shortly after Okon’s graduation from the Faculty of Law in 2012, has now culminated in a resounding victory at Nigeria’s apex court. What started as a student’s quest for justice against a powerful academic institution, supported by senior advocates and professors, has now become a significant precedent in academic and administrative accountability.
“Today I won the University of Uyo at the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” Okon said in a statement released shortly after the ruling. “In 2012 I graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University and some certain Professors and Senior Advocates said I would never obtain my law degree. I got it anyway.”
Okon first approached the Federal High Court in Uyo, where judgment was given in his favor with an award of over ₦5 million in damages. The university appealed the ruling, but the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s decision. Still unsatisfied, the institution pursued the matter to the Supreme Court.
However, before the Supreme Court could deliver its verdict, Okon alleged that the university began using extrajudicial means to derail the process, including police intimidation and unlawful arrests.
“They resorted to using the police to harass, intimidate, and arrest me,” Okon said. “That gave me a fresh course of action and I sued them again, winning over ₦22 million in damages.”
In what appears to be a relentless legal campaign, Okon successfully fended off multiple appeals and applications across Nigeria’s judicial hierarchy, remaining undefeated in every round.
“Today their final anchor at the Supreme Court has been torn apart,” he declared. “It’s been by God’s strength that I have shown them that there is no luck in knowledge.”
He credited his legal team — Daniel G. Daniel Esq., John James Esq., and Wisdom Chukwumere Esq. — for standing by him throughout the long legal odyssey.
“I showed them that intelligence is not in big names and titles.”
Legal experts have described the case as a powerful reminder of the importance of due process in university administration and a testimony to the power of perseverance and knowledge over institutional power and intimidation.
The University of Uyo is yet to issue an official statement in response to the Supreme Court ruling as of press time.
Legal observers say the ruling is more than a personal vindication for Enobong Bassey Okon; it is a glaring indictment of the University of Uyo’s administrative machinery under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Prof. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo. Critics argue that the protracted legal embarrassment, culminating in a final loss at the Supreme Court, highlights deep-rooted institutional ineptitude and a lack of accountability at the highest levels of the university.
Some insiders view the judgment as an albatross hanging over Prof. Ndaeyo’s legacy and a dark cloud over his widely rumored succession plan — one allegedly designed to install a preferred stooge as his successor. For many within and outside the academic community, this legal defeat raises urgent questions about the competence, integrity, and direction of the university’s leadership in the years ahead.
As the dust settles, one thing is clear: this case will be remembered not just for its legal lessons, but for exposing the fault lines in a university that must now reckon with the consequences of power misused and justice delayed.
