Babcock University expels student over alleged ritual practices, other violations

Babcock University, located in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, has taken disciplinary action against one of its students, Oladipupo Siwajuola, expelling him over what the institution described as a “gross violation of university rules and regulations.”

According to an official statement released on Wednesday and signed by Dr. Joshua Suleiman, the university’s Director of Marketing and Communication, Siwajuola was found guilty of multiple offenses including involvement in fetish activities, drug peddling, impersonation, and acts of dishonesty.

The situation came into the public eye in early May 2025 when Siwajuola’s mother raised concerns on social media, alleging that Babcock University had failed in its duty to protect her son. Her post quickly gained traction online, sparking a wave of public scrutiny and debate.

However, the university responded by clarifying the sequence of events leading to the expulsion. According to the statement, Siwajuola had left the campus without official permission on April 28, 2025. He reportedly disguised himself with a hoodie and exited through the teaching hospital gate, bypassing proper security checks.

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“His disappearance was neither accidental nor the result of negligence by the university. Rather, it was a deliberate act, laced with a series of misconducts that violate the Babcock University Student Handbook,” the statement said.

According to the university, Siwajuola was brought back to campus by his father on May 15, 2025, and was subsequently invited by the Security Services Department for questioning.

In a voluntary written statement and during a disciplinary hearing, he reportedly admitted to several infractions.

These included the purchase of a black soap from a traditional herbalist for ₦100,000, contradicting his mother’s earlier claim that the soap was meant to treat a skin condition. Siwajuola allegedly confessed that the soap was part of a “Yahoo Yahoo Plus” ritual—a slang term for internet fraud involving fetish practices.

The university further stated that Siwajuola admitted to drug peddling, taking a ₦500,000 loan from an online platform for gambling, and impersonating another student to open a bank account. He was also accused of selling his personal phone without permission and deceiving the buyer by claiming his father had approved the sale.

In contrast to his mother’s public claims that he was found by old classmates, the university clarified that it was the mother of Sodiq, a friend Siwajuola stayed with in Lagos, who alerted his family after noticing the growing media attention.

Following an internal investigation, Babcock University found Siwajuola guilty of multiple offences, including leaving campus without authorization, possession and use of fetish materials, drug peddling, impersonation, dishonesty, and unauthorized sale of property.

“In line with its disciplinary policies and global best practices,” the statement added, “the university had no choice but to dismiss Siwajuola with immediate effect.”

Dr. Suleiman acknowledged the emotional difficulty of the decision, particularly for the student’s family, but emphasized that the university’s primary duty is to safeguard the safety and moral integrity of all students.

The university also condemned the “sensational and baseless accusations” made by Siwajuola’s mother on social media, which it described as false and misleading. However, due to what it called the “responsible conduct” of the student’s father, Babcock University said it would not be pursuing a libel case at this time.