Amnesty International has urged the management of Madonna University, Elele Campus in Rivers State, to reverse the expulsion of a final-year nursing student and the suspension of 14 other 500-level students over a viral TikTok video. The rights organisation made the call in a post on its X account on Thursday.

The university had expelled a final-year nursing student identified as Mercy and suspended 14 other students after a video showing nursing students dancing in a hospital waiting area, staircase and bus went viral on social media. The video, recorded on the university’s Elele campus, was part of a social media trend known as the “Gen Z nurses” challenge.

Amnesty described the sanctions as disproportionate and urged the university to prioritise dialogue and mediation instead. It said imposing heavy-handed academic or disciplinary measures could end the affected students’ academic progress and create a chilling effect on their rights.

The organisation stressed that the students were entitled to freedom of expression, academic freedom and education. It also called on the university to ensure that its disciplinary policies and procedures complied with international human rights standards and upheld the rights of everyone on campus.

The development had earlier drawn appeals from the Nigerian Universities Nursing Students’ Association and the National Association of Nigerian Students for the university to reconsider the sanctions. NUNSA said it had begun discussions with stakeholders, while NANS argued that the expulsion could have lasting consequences for the students’ academic and professional futures.