The management of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, has threatened to take legal action against Mrs Fijabi Omotayo, and her son, Oladipupo Siwajuola, a student of the school whose mother raised the alarm, claiming he was missing from the school campus.
“My son is not a piece of furniture. It’s been over 72 hours since I last spoke with him,” Mrs. Fajabi had said in a a Facebook live video in which she claimed to have dropped Oladipupo in the school campus, but his whereabouts had be unknown, and blamed the institution for it.
The matter spread on social media and made the headlines in the newspapers, with the aggrieved mother in a follow-up post, announcing the finding of her son in a terse message on Facebook.
Now, the University said Mrs Fijabi and her son caused damage to its reputation, and is considering taking legal action against them.
A statement by the university’s Director of Communication and Public Relations, Dr Joshua Suleiman made this known.
It said that the “sensational and misleading” social media allegations made by Mrs Fijabi had unjustly tarnished the reputation of the university.
“Contrary to public assertions, the student in question left the university campus unlawfully, without following established protocols or obtaining proper clearance from the university authorities,” the statement read.
It said further that the student was later found in Akute, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, near Lagos, where he had previously attended secondary school.
The university added that the student’s roommates had earlier raised concerns about his “suspicious behaviour” and unusual habits, including the use of “local sponge and black soap,” which they claimed created an unpleasant atmosphere in the room.
“We reserve the right to seek redress under the law for any reputational damage caused by malicious and unfounded statements made against the university. In this matter, we may not hesitate to do so in due course,” the statement also read.
