In the last four months, three
sex scandals have rocked tertiary institutions in Nigeria. While sexual abuse
of students by lecturers is not news, the cases are interesting because of the
new trend of voicing out by the victims and the subsequent prompt investigation
of the allegations by the institutions.
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)
Ile-Ife, first made the headlines when in April, a leaked audio tape of Richard
Akindele, a professor in the institution, demanding five sessions of sex from
Monica Osagie (pictured), a post-graduate student of the department of business
administration, went viral on social media.
The school management set up a
probe panel and in June, Eyitope Ogunbodede, OAU vice-chancellor, announced
that the governing council of the institution had approved the sack of the
lecturer, “having found him guilty of all the charges against him.”
UNILAG FOLLOWS SUIT
The dust was yet to settle on
Akindele’s case when Joy Nwanna, a student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG),
raised the alarm that Olusegun Awonusi, a professor at UNILAG, was demanding
sexual favour from her.
Nwanna accused Awonusi, a
lecturer in the English department of the institution, and former
vice-chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ogun state, of
habitually harassing female students each time they go to his office.
The student released semi-nude
pictures of Awonusi in one of her “encounters” with him in his office.
“I have been suffering this for
months now. Whenever students go to his office for anything he is always trying
to touch you,” Nwanna had written.
“I took pictures of him on one of
the days I entered his office. He has made molestation a part of him. I am even
scared for my life in UNILAG. That is why I am reaching out to you so he can be
stopped. I have completely given up when it comes to academics, he has failed me
before. When I talked to him concerning it he told me I should know what to do
that I am an adult. I feel so dirty for even allowing such an old man touch me.
But he doesn’t even care.”
In a swift reaction to the
allegation, probably borrowing from the OAU saga, the management of UNILAG also
set up a probe committee to look into the allegations.
“Management will tackle the
allegation with every sense of responsibility and seriousness that the matter
deserves. The issue will be thoroughly investigated with transparency,”
Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, vice-chancellor, UNILAG, said in a statement.
The panel also said its
investigation revealed that the alleged victim graduated from UNILAG in 2016.
However, investigation has been
stalled as Nwanna reportedly failed to show up to present her case to the probe
panel.
AND NOW LASU
The Lagos State University (LASU)
on Tuesday said it had issued a query to Odubunmi Sukanmi, an associate
professor in the Department of Economics, over alleged sexual assault of a
female student.
Adekoya Martins, the university’s
spokesperson, said the management of the institution has zero tolerance for
such act, adding that the case was already before a joint action disciplinary
committee.
Sukanmi was allegedly caught two
weeks ago sexually assaulting an unidentified female undergraduate of his
department. The lecturer graduated from LASU and was reportedly honoured as the
best student in mathematics for economics in 1987.
Sukanmi had reportedly invited
the student to his office on a Saturday to rewrite a paper she allegedly
failed. On getting to the office, the lecturer reportedly removed his shirt and
started cuddling the student after giving her papers to rewrite the exam he
invited her for.
Unknown to him, the student had
sought the help of a non-governmental organisation to garner evidence to nail
the lecturer.
Martins said the case, already
before the disciplinary committee, would thereafter be forwarded to the
university senate for consideration.
Meanwhile, Olayinka Amuni, the
university registrar, said the sanction for such act once established would be
dismissal.
“Once we are able to establish
that a staff engages in an illegal relationship with any student, the person is
dismissed from the system because it is the height of academic
irresponsibility,” Amuni had said.
The rate at which things are
going, more students are likely to open up in the days ahead.
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