The unrest follows a circular issued on Monday by Aaron Agbo, director of the university’s Accommodation and Housing Directorate. The circular stated that payment of the 2025/2026 “consolidated service charges” is a prerequisite for accessing hostel bed spaces. According to Agbo, the portal for bed space allocation in Nnamdi Azikiwe, Imoke, NUGA, and UNIMA hostels was scheduled to open at 10 a.m. on February 18.
The circular further instructed all medical students transitioning from the Enugu campus to apply for available spaces, emphasizing that allocation would be strictly first-come, first-served and open to 400, 500, and 600-level students. While 400-level students are limited to Imoke and Nnamdi Azikiwe hostels, 500 and 600-level students could apply for spaces in any of the four hostels. Accommodation is also segregated by gender, with female students assigned to UNIMA and Imoke hostels, and male students to Nnamdi Azikiwe and NUGA hostels. Agbo warned that unauthorized sale or transfer of bed spaces would attract sanctions under university rules.
Despite the outlined procedure, the circular sparked immediate backlash. Students accused the university management of pressuring them into instant payment without addressing longstanding grievances.
On X, the medical students’ association alleged that tuition fees had been increased by 100 percent, hostel fees by 150 percent, and a controversial ₦60,000 development levy imposed. They further claimed that final-year students were being asked to pay a so-called seventh-year fee before accessing their hostels.
In a statement, a student identified as Gentle Jemmy attributed the protest to enduring hardships faced by medical students. Jemmy highlighted the multi-campus structure of the medical program, with first-year students in Nsukka, second and third years in UNEC, fourth-year students at the old site, and fifth- and sixth-year students at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH).
While acknowledging that the multi-campus setup is part of their training, Jemmy criticized what he called “unfair treatment in accommodation allocation.” He claimed that hostels at the old site, intended for two classes, were being used to house four classes, creating overcrowding. He also alleged that sixth-year students are now required to pay fees for a non-existent seventh year to access hostels at UNTH, and fifth-year students must pay sixth-year fees.
Jemmy further questioned the sharp increases in school and hostel fees, and the imposition of development levies, describing them as unjustified given the “little visible improvement in facilities.” Another student, Naza, described the hostels as “rat- and snake-infested, with no water or steady light,” criticizing the lack of conducive conditions for optimal study.
As of the time of reporting, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka management had not issued an official response to the protest or the allegations, and attempts to reach the university spokesperson were unsuccessful.