The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by the authorities of Rivers State University (RSU), affirming the right of Muslim students to worship on the campus.
This brings to a close a dispute that began in 2012 over the right of Muslim students to observe prayers and establish a place of worship on the university’s Nkpolu Oroworukwo campus.
The unanimous decision affirmed earlier rulings that the students are entitled to worship freely and to be allocated a designated space within the campus.
The case originated in 2012 when Muslim students alleged that university authorities had restricted their ability to conduct prayers and erect structures associated with Islamic worship.
In Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/150/2012, filed at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, the claimants, led by Umaru Wazuru and 98 others, challenged the actions of the then Vice Chancellor of RSU and the Attorney General of Rivers State.
Represented by solicitors from the law firm of Oloriegbe & Co., the students sought declaratory reliefs, arguing that the restrictions were unconstitutional and discriminatory.
Among other orders, they requested that the university allocates a parcel of land for Muslim students to worship.
They said this would be similar to facilities available to Christian groups on campus.
In a judgment delivered on February 19, 2013, the Federal High Court ruled in favour of the students, holding that prohibiting Muslim students from establishing a place of worship while churches existed on campus violated the constitutional guarantees of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
The court also rejected the university’s argument that a mosque was not included in the institution’s original master plan, describing the reasoning as inconsistent with constitutional protections.
The university appealed the ruling to the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, in Appeal No. CA/PH/614/2015.
On March 31, 2017, the appellate court unanimously dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court.
A further appeal was subsequently filed at the Supreme Court in suit No. SC/055/2018.
The matter came up for hearing on February 10, 2026 when the apex court unanimously dismissed the appeal, effectively ending the litigation.
By operation of law, the judgments of the lower courts recognising the students’ right to worship within the university and to be allocated a suitable place for that purpose, remain binding on the parties.
Under Nigerian constitutional jurisprudence, decisions of the Supreme Court are final and binding on all authorities and persons.
Legal analysts note that failure to comply with subsisting court orders may expose public officials and institutional authorities to contempt proceedings, which can attract sanctions, including imprisonment.