Students drag school to court over alleged extortion

Three students have dragged their school before an Abuja High Court over alleged extortion by the school authority.
The plaintiffs, Pax-Ogar Praise Oluwayemisi, Max-Ogar David and Max-Ogar Excellence, who sued the school, Stella Maris School, Garki, Area 1, Abuja, through their friend, Max Ogar, asked the court to direct the school to return the monies illegally collected from them.
In the statement of claim attached to the writ of summon, the students alleged that the school advertised admissions for its 2012/2013 Session in the months preceding September 2012 and made public its charges/levies (fees) for the 2012/2013 Session through a prospectus it published/circulated.
They further claimed that first plaintiff, being a Grade 3 pupil was billed to pay a fee of N95,000 per term, the second plaintiff, being a Grade 1 pupil was billed to pay N90,000 while the third plaintiff was to pay N65,000.
It was further claimed that the defendant singlehandedly increased the fee, expecting the first plaintiff to pay N105,000 as opposed to N95,000; the second plaintiff to pay N100,000 as opposed to N90,000, and the third plaintiff to pay N75,000 as opposed to N65,000.
The plaintiff added that the defendant collected N5,000 from each of the plaintiffs in September 2012 as a levy for 2012 End of Year party, adding that the party, expected to have been held in December 2012, was not held.
They further alleged that the  defendant collected the sum N3,500 from each of the plaintiffs for school sandals of which none of the plaintiffs had been given a school sandal and no refund had been made.
The plaintiff, therefore, asked that the defendant could not unilaterally alter the rules of the contract the plaintiffs entered into with it.
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