A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, has granted an accelerated hearing to the case involving the management of the University of Port Harcourt and 2015/2016 graduating students, who were denied certificate and call-up letters for the mandatory national service.
The students, who are over 2000, instituted the suit against the management of the university, over the institution’s refusal to give them certificates and mobilised them for the one-year compulsory national youth service corps scheme.
Counsel to the defendants, Emeka Njoku notified the court that they just received the suit and would need time to file their responses.
Speaking after the court sitting, counsel to the students, Kingdom Chukwueze said they are in court to challenge the action of the school’s management.
On the other hand, Njoku said they will respond to the suit on point of law.
The presiding judge, Justice Muhammad Turaki who granted an accelerated hearing on the case, added that the defendants should file their response on time.
Justice Turaki adjourned the suit to 28TH of August, for further hearing.
Recall that the management of the institution said the affected students refused to pay their final year school fees before the school’s portals closed.
