To banish Akpabiogate from campuses, varsities and polytechnics indict 50 lecturers in 4 years
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Some 50 lecturers in public universities and polytechnics were indicted in the four years between April 2021 and April 2025 over demand for sex to inflate the grades of female students, immoral acts that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan referenced this year in the petition over her alleged sexual harassment by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Among the indictees were professors who have been dismissed and others currently facing disciplinary panels.
The cases cut across universities and polytechnics North and South, highlighting the widespread nature of sexual harassment in Nigeria’s higher education system, according to findings by The PUNCH.
A 2018 survey by the World Bank Group’s Women, Business, and the Law project found that 70 per cent of female graduates in Nigeria experienced sexual harassment in school, most commonly from classmates and lecturers.
The Senate passed a bill in 2021 prescribing a 21-year jail term for lecturers guilty of sexual exploitation but the legislation has not been signed into law four years later.
The Governing Council of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi on 24 April 2025 dismissed senior lecturer Usman Aliyu for sexually harassing a married postgraduate student, Kamila Aliyu.
ATBU acted on the findings of its Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee which found Usman Aliyu guilty of the charge.
Kamila Aliyu petitioned the school in 2024 accusing the lecturer of coercion and threatening her academic progress.
On 14 April 2025, Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) dismissed three lecturers – Nurudeen Hassan (mass communication department), Kareem Arigbabu (arts & design), and Olayinka Uthman (arts & Design) – over sexual harassment.
A memo titled “Dismissal of Staff Members Due to Sexual Harassment Allegations” explained that the decision followed deliberations by LASUSTECH Governing Council under Section 5.5.2(v) of the University Senior Staff Conditions of Service.
The Federal University, Lokoja (FULokoja) announced on 14 November 2024 the dismissal of four unnamed lecturers for sexual misconduct.
In May 2024, FULokoja had suspended a lecturer over similar incidents.
Abia State University, Uturu on 2 August 2024 suspended lecturer Udochukwu Ndukwe from the Department of Mass Communication for three months for sexually harassing a female student.
In April 2024, Enugu police arrested a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Mfonobong Udoudom, after a video emerged showing him allegedly harassing a female student in his office after the university had placed him on indefinite suspension.
Earlier incidents include the 2021 dismissal of three lecturers from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife – one each from the Departments of English, International Relations, and Accounting – for sexual harassment.
June 2021
Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), suspended a lecturer in the Department of Media and Theatre Arts for sexual misconduct, and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) dismissed two lecturers for a similar offence.
August 2021
The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) dismissed a lecturer from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature.
October 2021
Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi dismissed two lecturers from the Departments of Nutrition/Dietetics and General Studies.
Ignatius Ajuru University of Education dismissed a lecturer for impregnating a female student.
December 2021
Kwara State University, Malete fired a lecturer for harassing a female student in the Department of Pure and Applied Sciences.
January 2022
Elechi Amadi Polytechnic in Rivers sacked a lecturer over sexual misconduct.
April 2022
OAU launched a probe into sexual harassment allegations against a professor in the Department of Linguistics and African Studies – the second professor affected at the institution that year.
June 2022
The then-Vice Chancellor of University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), Professor Abdul-Raheed Na’allah, confirmed the dismissal of two professors for sexual misconduct.
2023
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arraigned lecturer Balogun Olaniran of Tai Solarin University of Education in Ogun who allegedly demanded sexual favours in exchange for altering a female student’s result.
March 2023
Kogi State Polytechnic dismissed Abutu Thompson, a computer science lecturer, for harassing and victimising a female student.
May 2023
Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma in Edo dismissed a lecturer based on the recommendation of a disciplinary committee.
The lecturer admitted to making advances at the female student but went as far as visiting her church to plead for forgiveness, according to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Asomwan Adagbonyin.
July 2023
UNIABUJA announced the dismissal of two lecturers over sexual misconduct.
August 2023
University of Calabar (UNICAL) suspended its Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Cyril Ndifon, after multiple allegations of harassment surfaced against him.
7 September 2023
UNILAG suspended lecturer Kadri Babalola for raping a 21-year-old female student.
Safe channel to report sexual harassment
A lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Kogi State Polytechnic, Onoja Baba, has advocated for a “Digital Anonymous Feedback System” to enable safer reporting of sexual harassment amid its growing incidents.
“The existing mechanisms are often bureaucratic, and students fear repercussions, especially when it involves faculty,” he said.
“Without trusted and effective channels, victims feel isolated. It’s time to rethink how we address reporting and accountability in our institutions.”
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