No fewer than 50 lecturers across Nigerian public tertiary institutions have been indicted for sexual misconduct between April 2021 and April 2025.
While some of the indicted academics, including professors, have been dismissed, others are currently facing disciplinary panels.
The cases span universities and polytechnics nationwide, highlighting the widespread nature of sexual harassment in Nigeria’s higher education system.
A 2018 survey by the World Bank Group’s Women, Business, and the Law project found that 70 percent of female graduates in Nigeria had experienced sexual harassment in school, most commonly from classmates and lecturers.
Despite the Senate passing a bill in 2021 prescribing a 21-year jail term for lecturers guilty of sexual exploitation, the legislation has yet to be signed into law.
Most recently, on April 24, 2025, the Governing Council of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, dismissed a senior lecturer, Dr. Usman Aliyu, over allegations of sexually harassing a married postgraduate student, Mrs. Kamila Aliyu.
The university acted upon the findings of its Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee, which found the lecturer guilty of misconduct.
Mrs. Aliyu had petitioned the school in 2024, accusing Dr. Aliyu of coercion and threatening her academic progress.
Just 10 days earlier, on April 14, 2025, the Lagos State University of Science and Technology dismissed three lecturers, identified as Mr. Nurudeen Hassan (Mass Communication), Mr. Kareem Arigbabu, and Mr. Olayinka Uthman (both from the Department of Arts & Design), over sexual harassment.
According to a memo titled “Dismissal of Staff Members Due to Sexual Harassment Allegations,” the decision followed deliberations by the institution’s Governing Council under Section 5.5.2(v) of the University Senior Staff Conditions of Service.
Similarly, on November 14, 2024, the Federal University, Lokoja, announced the dismissal of four unnamed lecturers for sexual misconduct.
Earlier, on August 2, 2024, Abia State University, Uturu, suspended Dr. Udochukwu Ndukwe from the Department of Mass Communication for three months following allegations of harassing a female student.
In May 2024, FULokoja again suspended a lecturer over similar allegations. That same April, Enugu State Police arrested a suspended lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Mr. Mfonobong Udoudom, after a video emerged showing him allegedly harassing a female student in his office. The university had earlier announced his indefinite suspension.
Earlier incidents include the 2021 dismissal of three lecturers from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife—one each from the Departments of English, International Relations, and Accounting—for sexual harassment.
In June 2021, the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, suspended a lecturer in the Department of Media and Theatre Arts for misconduct, while the University of Lagos dismissed two lecturers the same month for similar offences.
In August 2021, the University of Port Harcourt dismissed a lecturer from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature. The Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, in October that year, also dismissed two lecturers from the Departments of Nutrition/Dietetics and General Studies.
The Ignatius Ajuru University of Education dismissed a lecturer in 2021 for impregnating a female student, and in December, the Kwara State University, Malete, let go of a lecturer for harassing a student in the Department of Pure and Applied Sciences. Rivers State’s Elechi Amadi Polytechnic took similar action in January 2022.
Obafemi Awolowo University again came under scrutiny in April 2022, launching a probe into sexual harassment allegations against a professor in the Department of Linguistics and African Studies—bringing the total number of professors affected at the institution to two.
In June 2022, the then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Raheed Na’allah, confirmed the dismissal of two professors for sexual misconduct.
In 2023, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arraigned Dr. Balogun Olaniran of Tai Solarin University of Education, who allegedly demanded sexual favors in exchange for altering a student’s results.
In March 2023, Kogi State Polytechnic dismissed Abutu Thompson, a Computer Science lecturer, for harassing and victimizing a female student. In May, Ambrose Alli University, Edo State, also dismissed a lecturer following a disciplinary committee’s recommendation. The lecturer, despite admitting to making advances, went as far as visiting the student’s church to plead for forgiveness, according to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Asomwan Adagbonyin.
In July 2023, UNIABUJA again announced the dismissal of two lecturers over sexual misconduct. The following month, the University of Calabar suspended its Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, after multiple allegations of harassment surfaced.
On September 7, 2023, the University of Lagos suspended lecturer Kadri Babalola, who was accused of raping a 21-year-old student.
Amid ongoing reports, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Kogi State Polytechnic, Mr. Onoja Baba, has advocated for a “Digital Anonymous Feedback System” to enable safer reporting of such 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.” PUNCH
