The State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS), Igbo-Eno, Enugu State, has sacked a lecturer, Mr Sunday Chinweike Ogbuka, after finding him guilty of sexually harassing a female student. Ogbuka worked in the Chemistry Unit of the Department of Physical Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences. The university’s management took the decision at a meeting on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, according to its statement, signed by Registrar Dr A.U. Onah. The student’s identity was not disclosed, and the university did not say how the case was investigated or what exactly happened. The finding was made by the university, not by a court, and we do not know whether any criminal complaint was filed.
SUMAS reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy (a rule that no case will be excused) and said no staff member is above its rules. It urged staff and students to keep professional boundaries and to report misconduct through proper channels.
Campus Cases Have Shaken Nigeria Before: Past Dismissals and Court Outcomes (Earlier Sexual Harassment Cases in Universities)
The SUMAS case follows a long line of similar complaints. In 2018, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) dismissed Professor Richard Akindele after a recording emerged in which a postgraduate student, Monica Osagie, said he demanded sex to raise her marks. The university said it confirmed the voice on the tape was his. Akindele was later jailed for two years after being found guilty of demanding sex from a student. That case showed that a student could win, but it took a recording to do it.
In 2019, a BBC Africa Eye documentary filmed a University of Lagos (UNILAG) lecturer, Boniface Igbeneghu, allegedly harassing an undercover reporter posing as a 17-year-old applicant. The university distanced itself and said it had zero tolerance. Almost two years later, UNILAG’s council approved the dismissal of Igbeneghu and another lecturer, Samuel Oladipo. The delay is part of the story.
The numbers show a persistent problem. The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) found that 12 lecturers were dismissed by various schools in 2021, and that more lecturers were accused of sexual harassment in 2023 than in any other year in the previous five. In April 2024, a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was allegedly caught on video in his office trying to molest a student, and a university official said she had reported him after he declined money she offered. These are allegations in that case, and we have not seen the outcome.
Power, Silence and Weak Rules: What Allows Misconduct to Continue (Causes of Sexual Harassment on Campus)
The core cause is the power imbalance. A lecturer controls grades, references and graduation, so a student who refuses may fear losing marks or being punished. The Akindele and UNILAG cases both centred on that kind of leverage.
Fear of speaking up is a second cause. In the Nsukka case, the student reportedly reported the lecturer to management, which asked her to pretend to agree while it monitored him. Few students would be ready for such a risk.
A third cause is slow or unclear institutions. In a Premium Times freedom-of-information exercise, only one of 20 universities gave the desired response about sexual harassment cases. The weak legal frame is a fourth. A 2020 report noted there was no law expressly prohibiting sexual harassment in tertiary institutions, and the Senate’s 2016 bill had not been signed. The Senate passed another version in July 2020, but a later commentary said it had still not been signed into law. Readers should check the current status.
The Damage to a Student, a Campus and the Country: Effects of Unchecked Harassment (Consequences for Students and Education)
The first effect is on the student. Harassment can cause fear, shame, falling grades and, in some cases, dropping out. Girls and young women may decide that education is not worth the risk.
The second effect is on trust. When students believe complaints will be ignored, they stay silent and offenders feel safe. A 2021 study of 1,408 students at Olabisi Onabanjo University found that 849, or 60.1 percent, agreed that sexual harassment existed on their campus. That is a sample from one school, but it shows how common the perception can be.
The third effect is on academic standards. If grades can be bargained for, degrees lose value, and honest students and lecturers suffer.
For the country, the cost is lost talent and a weaker reputation. A nation that wants more women in science, medicine and technology cannot afford campuses where they feel unsafe. The SUMAS case is also a university of medical and applied sciences, whose graduates become professionals trusted by the public.
Fairness Matters for Everyone Involved: Due Process and the Debate Over Tougher Laws (Balanced Views on Reform)
Tough rules carry questions about fairness. When the Senate first considered a bill in 2016, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) opposed it, though ThisDay argued the bill was important because it set a five-year jail term. A study of 600 lecturers and students in Delta State found that many welcomed the bill but worried it could be used against lecturers by people with grudges. A critic also argued that laws should cover everyone in tertiary institutions, not only lecturers.
These concerns are fair, and they are an argument for clear, fair procedures, not for doing nothing. A good process should protect the complainant from retaliation and give the accused a chance to respond. In this case, we do not know how SUMAS handled those steps, because it has not shared the details.
Making Reporting Safe and Consequences Real: Practical Steps for Universities and Lawmakers (Possible Solutions)
Universities should publish clear policies, set up confidential complaint channels and protect complainants from retaliation. SUMAS has urged staff and students to learn its policies and use proper channels, which is a good start. Cases should also be handled quickly, since the UNILAG dismissals came almost two years after the scandal.
Systems can reduce one-to-one pressure. In a BusinessDay survey, respondents suggested efficient complaints boards, electronic exams that are written, marked and graded online, and separating lecturers who teach from those who handle examinations. These are public suggestions, not proven fixes.
Lawmakers can revisit the stalled bills and clarify the law, while keeping fair-hearing protections. We also suggest that universities share information on dismissed staff, so that a lecturer sacked for harassment cannot simply be hired elsewhere. That is our own suggestion and would need legal safeguards.
Students and parents can help by learning the school’s reporting channels, keeping records such as messages and dates, and supporting those who come forward.
A Dismissal Is a Beginning, Not the End: Our Closing Reflection (Dignity, Safety and Trust)
We commend SUMAS for acting and for announcing it publicly. Many cases never reach this stage, and a visible consequence tells students that someone is listening. The university also protected the student’s identity, which is right.
We also think more can be said. The decision was taken on September 8, yet the public is only learning of it now. The university has not explained its process or whether the matter was passed to the police. Transparency, within the limits of privacy, builds trust.
We urge all universities to follow the same path, with stronger systems, faster hearings and real protection for those who report. Students deserve to learn without fear. We will update this story if SUMAS or the lecturer provides more information.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
