By Asuquo Cletus
A graduate of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), Martins Eyam, has been arrested and remanded in prison custody following a voice note circulated on WhatsApp in which he criticized the institution’s “No Fees, No Exams” policy and called for a peaceful protest.
Eyam, a recent graduate of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, allegedly shared a voice message across student platforms, condemning the university’s decision to bar students who had not paid their school fees from writing examinations. In the message, he urged students to unite and protest against what he described as an “oppressive and inconsiderate” policy.
Sources within the university confirmed that the voice note reached the office of the Acting Vice Chancellor, who reportedly interpreted the message as an incitement capable of disrupting the peace on campus. Subsequently, the university authorities alerted security operatives, which led to Eyam’s arrest.
According to student sources, Eyam was arrested on Monday, April 14 by operatives of the local security outfit known as Operation Okwok. He was allegedly remanded in prison the same day.
Speaking anonymously, a student leader said, “Martins was invited for a meeting and was told, ‘If you want to be like VeryDarkMan (a known social activist) without money, you will suffer.’ Later that same day, he was arrested and taken to prison.”
In the voice note obtained by Primetime, Eyam appealed for solidarity among students, urging those who had paid their fees to stand with those who could not afford to. He argued that the institution should not prevent students from sitting for exams due to financial hardship and criticized the suspension of student leaders who had opposed the policy.
Part of his message read:
“Students must learn to know that we all are one, irrespective of your financial buoyancy… If you’ve been able to pay your school fees, another person is struggling… It’s duty bound on the whole entire class… to say, let them write the exam or none of us will write.”
He further criticized the administration’s response to student leaders who opposed the policy, stating: “They stood against the school management… because they were elected to be a voice to the voiceless.”
Eyam concluded by calling on student leaders to engage the school’s management constructively and advocate for better communication and understanding between students and authorities.
When contacted, Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Francisca Bassey declined to comment directly on the issue, stating, “I will give you the contact of someone that you can talk to on the issue, please.”
The incident has sparked concerns among student groups and human rights advocates over freedom of expression and students’ rights to protest. Efforts to reach the university’s public relations office for an official statement were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
