Nigerian university speaks on alleged extortion of new students

The management of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu State, has refuted a report that one of its lecturers was extorting new students of the institution.

The UNN spokesperson, Okwun Omeaku, announced the university’s position in a statement on Tuesday.

On Saturday, a video clip showing a male UNN lecturer collecting money from new students surfaced on social media.

A male voice in the background of the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, claimed that the academic was extorting N16,000 from the students in order to issue them clearance documents.

He also claimed that the lecturer was extorting the new students at the Faculty of Agriculture of the university.

UNN speaks

In the Tuesday statement, Mr Omeaku said the university had identified the lecturer in the clip, and that he was collecting legitimate fees from the students, contrary to the report.

“He (the lecturer) acted under the directive of the Faculty of Agriculture Administration to collect fees related to the faculty and student association obligations.

“Specifically, the money he was seen collecting covered the faculty levy and the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Students (NAAS) dues,” he said.

The UNN spokesperson, however, said that although the lecturer’s intention was not to extort the students, the method of collection falls short of the university’s fee collection standards.

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He said the collection ought not to have been conducted “outside the standard payment channels of banks.”

Mr Omeaku said the university authorities were currently reviewing the actions of the lecturer to prevent future occurrences.

“We will ensure that appropriate measures are implemented to reinforce proper financial procedures, especially in the faculties and departments.

“The management has directed all faculties, departments, and centres to collect approved fees strictly through the banks or official university payment platforms,” he stated.

Zero tolerance for extortion

Meanwhile, Mr Omeaku stressed that UNN does not condone extortion or unethical behaviour by its staff or students.

The spokesperson said the university was committed to upholding the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and ethical conduct.

“The management of the university will not hesitate to deal with any staff (member) who exploits our students in any way,” he added.

Not the first time

This is not the first time extortion allegations have been reported in UNN, Nigeria’s first indigenous university.

In July 2024, a doctoral student of the university alleged that there were ongoing cases of extortion of postgraduate students in the university’s political science department.

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The unidentified student also claimed that some lecturers – mainly the department’s head and the coordinator of the university’s postgraduate programme – were extorting between N35,000 and N500,000 from postgraduate students.

The student pointed out that the lecturers allegedly carry out the extortion using class representatives who usually report back to them.

The university authorities would later promise to investigate the allegations against the lecturers, assuring that they would continue to protect students from the activities of “a few bad eggs” within the institution.

However, the university has yet to make public the outcome of the investigation on the incident, nearly a year later.