Professor Daudu’s N7 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against PREMIUM TIMES Linked to Exam Fraud Allegations

Professor Daudu’s N7 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against PREMIUM TIMES Linked to Exam Fraud Allegations

Benedicta Daudu, a professor who faced sanctions for examination misconduct at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) in 2016, has initiated a defamation lawsuit against PREMIUM TIMES, demanding N7 billion in damages. The suit, filed in March 2023 at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, alleges that the newspaper’s reporting on her examination malpractice was both false and malicious.

A report by Premium Times stated that
in May 2016, Mrs. Daudu was discovered in possession of “foreign materials” containing exam answers during a second-semester examination for her Master’s degree in Research and Public Policy. As a result, she was suspended from the master’s program for one academic session and received a six-month suspension as a university staff member. PREMIUM TIMES first reported on the scandal while Mrs. Daudu was serving on the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC), a position she subsequently resigned from due to the fallout.

In September 2023, PREMIUM TIMES highlighted that despite her past misconduct, Mrs. Daudu was shortlisted for the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). However, she did not make the final list released by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) in October 2023.

Mrs. Daudu contends that the reports published on September 15 and October 12, 2023, have severely damaged her reputation and undermined her qualifications, thus adversely affecting her chances of being recognized as a SAN. She asserts that there is “no scintilla of truth” to the claims made by PREMIUM TIMES regarding her conduct.

The lawsuit, numbered FCT/HC/CV/2024 and filed on March 11, argues that she was wrongfully accused of possessing unauthorized academic materials and insists that she was not guilty of cheating. Furthermore, she claims she was not dismissed from her role as a PACAC member.

Mrs. Daudu believes that the reports tarnished her professional image, portraying her as unfit for the SAN rank, and asserts that PREMIUM TIMES failed to give her an opportunity to respond to the allegations prior to publication. She is seeking N7 billion in damages—N2 billion for general damages related to the reports and N5 billion for exemplary damages, attributing the harm to what she describes as extreme malice.

In 2016, while pursuing a second master’s degree at UNIJOS, Mrs. Daudu was caught during an examination for the course “Global Concept of Public Policy,” possessing 11 pieces of paper with relevant revision notes. Following this incident, the Senate Examination Misconduct Committee recommended her suspension from the master’s program for two semesters and also suspended her staff position for six months.

Rather than appear before the disciplinary committee, she filed an action in the National Industrial Court in Abuja to halt proceedings. During that trial, she admitted under cross-examination to possessing revision notes relevant to the exam, which contradicted her current claims in the defamation suit. The court ruled against her, affirming the university’s authority to impose disciplinary action.

In a subsequent settlement reached between Mrs. Daudu and UNIJOS while her appeal was pending, she resigned from the university and was allowed to continue her studies after serving her suspension. The university also agreed to pay her withheld salaries during her suspension.

This settlement has elicited controversy, particularly after reports emerged claiming that UNIJOS had reinstated her and cleared her of misconduct allegations, which the university denied, clarifying that she was never absolved of wrongdoing.

The case highlights ongoing debates about academic integrity and the consequences of misconduct within higher education institutions. As this lawsuit unfolds, the implications for both Mrs. Daudu’s career and the credibility of the reporting will be closely scrutinized.

By PRNigeria