Amnesty International has called on the management of Madonna University, Elele Campus, Rivers State, to reverse the expulsion of a final-year nursing student and the suspension of 14 other 500-level students over a viral social media video.

The rights organisation made the appeal in a statement on Thursday, describing the sanctions as disproportionate and urging the university to resolve the matter through dialogue and mediation.

The affected students were sanctioned 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 said the university had expelled one final-year nursing student identified as Mercy and suspended 14 other 500-level nursing students who were involved in the video.

The organisation said the sanctions could have serious consequences for the students’ academic and professional futures, particularly because the affected students were at an advanced stage of their nursing education.

It said the students were entitled to freedom of expression, education and academic freedom, while stressing that disciplinary measures should comply with international human rights standards.

Amnesty urged the university to reconsider the sanctions and prioritise dialogue and mediation in resolving the matter.

The development has also attracted appeals from student organisations, including the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Nigerian Universities Nursing Students’ Association NUNSA.

NANS had called on the university to replace the expulsion with a stern warning, while NUNSA said it had begun discussions with relevant stakeholders and the university management to seek a fair resolution.

The university’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Mr Chima Achu, had said the institution would issue an official position on the matter.

Amnesty urged the university to uphold the rights of the affected students while ensuring that disciplinary procedures remained consistent with applicable human rights standards.