The Federal University Dutse (FUD) has explained the circumstances surrounding the termination of the appointment of a former lecturer, Dr Ramla Muhammad Kamal, saying she failed to resume duty after completing an approved study fellowship.
The university made the clarification in a statement signed by Abdullahi Yahaya Bello, Acting Director, Public Relations, for the Registrar, in reaction to media reports by Kamal alleging breach of her employment rights, defamation and denial of fair hearing.
According to the statement, Kamal was employed as a Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, on May 25, 2018.
It said she was subsequently granted a two-year self-sponsored study fellowship with salary at the University of Putra Malaysia to pursue a master’s degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology.
The university said Kamal signed a Study Fellowship Bond obliging her to return and serve the institution for the prescribed period after completing the programme.
“Under the terms of the Bond, she was required to return to the service of the University and serve for the prescribed period applicable to officers who enjoyed salary during the fellowship,” the statement said.
It added that the fellowship was later extended, with her expected resumption date fixed for Nov. 10, 2022.
The university, however, said Kamal did not return to duty after the expiration of the approved period.
It said that following a staff audit in 2024, she was asked to resume duty but instead requested that her obligations under the Study Fellowship Bond be suspended.
According to the university, the request was rejected and she was advised to return to duty in compliance with the terms of the bond.
The institution said it subsequently commenced disciplinary proceedings after she failed to resume work.
It said Kamal responded to a formal query, explaining that she was in the United States awaiting residency documentation to enable her to pursue further professional training in Clinical Pharmacology.
The university said she was given additional opportunities to regularise her position and appeared virtually before an Investigative Committee on two occasions.
“During those proceedings, she was advised to return to the University and pursue any further requests through the appropriate administrative channels. She did not do so,” the statement said.
It said the matter was subsequently referred to the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee, which invited Kamal twice to appear and defend herself, but she did not honour the invitations.
According to the statement, the committee made recommendations to the Governing Council after considering the available records.
The university also disclosed that its Bursary Department calculated the salaries paid to Kamal during the relevant period at N16,375,817.
It said the publication in which her name appeared was made pursuant to decisions of the university’s competent statutory authorities.
“The publication was neither arbitrary nor personal. It formed part of an official administrative process undertaken by the University in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities,” it said.
The university further maintained that the publication was lawful and protected by the legal defences of justification and qualified privilege.
It said the matter was now before the Federal High Court and declined to comment further on issues pending before the court.
“The University has duly entered appearance in the suit and has filed the appropriate processes, including a Preliminary Objection challenging the jurisdiction of the Court, which is awaiting judicial determination,” the statement said.
Background
Kamal had dragged FUD and its Registrar before the Federal High Court in Dutse over her dismissal, seeking N120 million in damages for alleged defamation and breach of her employment rights.
The suit, marked FHC/DUT/CS/18/2026, was instituted by Kamal, a former Lecturer II in the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences.
In the suit, she is challenging the legality of her dismissal, alleging that the university breached the terms governing her employment, denied her fair hearing and unlawfully publicised her dismissal before officially serving her with the dismissal letter.
She is asking the court to declare the university’s publication defamatory and compel it to withdraw the publication of her name as an absconding scholar, publish a public apology and pay her N100 million as general damages and N20 million as exemplary damages.
According to her court filings, she was granted study leave with full salary to pursue postgraduate studies at Universiti Putra Malaysia, which she said she completed in 2023.
She claimed that while on study leave, she personally financed her tuition, accommodation, flights and other educational expenses with support from her family, alleging that the university paid only her salary.
Kamal further told the court that her husband’s research appointment in the United States prompted her to seek a leave of absence to pursue a clinical pharmacology fellowship while requesting that her study leave bond be suspended until her return to Nigeria.
She alleged that the university rejected the request, stopped her salary in May 2024, initiated disciplinary proceedings and eventually dismissed her in June 2026 without giving her adequate opportunity to defend herself.
She also claimed that news of her dismissal and alleged sponsorship and abscondment from duty appeared on several online media platforms without her receiving any dismissal letter, describing the action as damaging to her reputation.
The institution said it remained confident in the judicial process and would abide by the final decision of the court.
It also reiterated its commitment to “fairness, due process, accountability, staff development, and the faithful observance of all applicable laws and regulations governing its affairs.”
