LASU probes allegation of sexual abuse against lecturer

The Lagos State University (LASU) on Tuesday said it had issued a query to an Associate Professor in its Department of Economics over alleged sexual assault of a student, and the case was already before a Joint Action Disciplinary Committee.

Adekoya Martins, the University’s spokesperson told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the management of the institution had zero tolerance to such act.

An Associate Professor of Economics in the Lagos State University (LASU) was allegedly caught two weeks ago sexually assaulting an unidentified female undergraduate of his department.

Mr Martins said the case, already before the disciplinary committee, would thereafter be forwarded to the University Senate for consideration.

Meanwhile, the University Registrar, Olayinka Amuni, had 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.

“We are an institution guided by rules and regulations, and once we have an official report or an allegation of someone indulging in sexual harassment, the first thing we do is to issue query to the person.

“The query is to get information from the person whether indeed that really happened or not.

“We would examine whatever response you give with the evidences before us and if the evidences are not genuine, we won’t push further.

“But if we can find element of truth in what is before us, the matter is sent to disciplinary committee and the sanction for such activities is dismissal,” he said.

Mr Amuni said the university management had continued to encourage its students to confide in them and report any form of harassment from their lecturers or non-academic staff.

The alleged incident in LASU is coming soon after the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, dismissed one of its lecturers, Richard Akindele, a professor, who was allegedly involved in a sex-for-marks scandal.

(NAN)