AT the Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), formerly Kogi State University, the death of a lecturer in a hotel room where he had lodged with his 200-level female student sparked outrage. The ICIR findings reveal that this has added to enduring cases of sexual abuse, harassment and exploitation in the institution.
Olabode Abimbola Ibikunle, a senior lecturer of the Faculty of Education at PAAU, Anyigba, reportedly collapsed in a hotel room while having sex with a 200-level student on July 16, 2025.
The ICIR reported that the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, William Ovye Aya, confirming the incident said Ibikunle requested a private meeting with the student on July 16 at an undisclosed hotel in Anyigba. According to him, the management said the lecturer arrived at the hotel looking enthusiastic and reportedly took two bottles of energy drink.
Ibikunle reportedly slumped on the bed with the student in the heat of the moment and became unresponsive. The police said the student raised an alarm, prompting hotel staff and management to rush into the room.
Aya said police officers from Ayingba were called immediately, and Ibikunle was taken to the nearest hospital where he was pronounced dead. The student was arrested, while the case was later transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.
Sexual misconduct behind closed doors
A reliable source at the Kogi State Police command told The ICIR that the family of Ibikunle and school authority charged the Police to withdraw the case even before investigations could commence, insisting they were not interested in the matter.
He was a strict, most feared don – Students
During a visit to the university campus, students of Ibikunle’s faculty described him as one of the strictest and most feared lecturers of the department.
“He was an easy-going person to some of us. He didn’t talk much but was very strict inside the exam hall,” a students who pleaded anonymity said.
The Police source said their findings revealed that Ibikunle’s affair with the student was consensual. However, a staff at the Human Resource unit who pleaded anonymity, told The ICIR that romantic and sexual relationship between a lecturer and student is a violation of the school code of conduct.
“A lecturer was sacked from one of the departments because he was in a romantic relationship with a student in another faculty. Students don’t even understand that for a lecturer to ask you out is punishable. Some lecturers have resigned, and some have been sacked for having such relationships with their students,” the source said.
The staff explained that even though the school doesn’t have a sexual harassment policy, it is stipulated in the staff code of conduct that sexual harassment, and sexual relationship between students and lecturers are punishable.
“There is a code of conduct that clearly guides the staff. So as a staff member, you are not expected to have a romantic relationship with a student. It is ground for dismissal,” the staff added.
The ICIR could not access the staff code of conduct to review.
Allegations of harrassment
Some female students of PAAU who spoke with The ICIR narrated their encounters with some lecturers.
“We had just finished the exams and Ocheme walked up to me and asked how I was doing. He called my name and matric number, and was like, ‘you really did well in the last exam you wrote’,” *Nanchal (real Name withheld ) alleged.
Nanchal said she was offered admission into the department of Sociology in 2022 and Ocheme Sunday Joseph, popularly called “Mr. Ocheme” by the students in the department, was her level coordinator.
“He said he had gone through and marked my script. Out of fear, I wondered what was happening. He said I should come to his office, and when I got there, he started acting funny, saying things like, ‘you are a fine girl’,” she narrated.
“He started going beyond the normal touching and when I made to stand up, he requested me to sit back, asking if I was not mature to understand what he wanted.
Like Nanchal, some teenagers enrol into Nigeria tertiary institutions between 14 and 16 years, which has been a burning issue until the government pegged the university admission age at 16. Announced in July 2025, the policy aims to ensure students have the necessary cognitive maturity and academic preparedness for higher education. with this, any admission outside the official Central Admissions Processing System is seemed illegal. This change was partly driven by concerns that students were entering university too young, which could lead to challenges with maturity and a greater risk of manipulation.
Sexual harassment defined
The Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, defines sexual harassment as an unwanted conduct of a sexual nature with the purpose or effect of either violating the other person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them. It identifies both the harasser and survivor to be of any gender, noting that the unwanted sexual conduct can happen in person, on the phone, by text or email, or online.
It specifically states that, “sexual harassment includes sexual comments, gestures, leering, staring, jokes, innuendos, unwanted sexual advances or flirting, requests or favours, emails or texts with sexual content, intrusive questions, unwanted physical contact like brushing up against someone or hugging, kissing, massaging, and stalking.”
More female students speak
Another student, (name withheld) recalled resuming school, as a 16-year-old in January 2023. She said her first encounter with Ocheme was a few days after resumption.
“I went to sign my course form because he was our level advisor. I noticed, he told people to come in, then he closed the door and asked the others to wait. He told me to remove the pin on my form. I got injured trying to remove the pin. He helped me clean my wound and he started to touch me. I felt uncomfortable,” she alleged.
Another student said she only went to Ocheme’s office to sign her course form, but he locked the door and started asking her questions.
“I couldn’t answer the questions he was asking me, so he stood up and pushed me to the wall and started trying to unzip my trouser. I kept struggling with him until someone knocked on the door. He told me to compose myself and threatened to fail me if I uttered a word,” she alleged.
Similarly, another student alleged that Ocheme touched her in his office when she was in 100-level.
“I went to his office to sign my course form, he asked everyone to leave his office, then shot the door, and asked me to seat on his lap. When I refused, he dragged me by force and started pressing my breast,” the student said.
The student, who wouldn’t want her identity disclosed, said she was able to escape when a student knocked on the door, so she ran out and came back with a friend to pick up her form.
These and more than ten female students in the same department shared allegations of their sexual harassment encounters with Ocheme, relationship request messages by other lecturers.
“He has tried to touch, literally almost every girl out of 10 girls, because he was our course advisor from 100 level. We could not write an exam or do anything without him. Most of us were his victims,” one of the students said.
Trouble for Ocheme
The ICIR gathered that Ocheme was reported to the Head of Department, Timothy Abayomi Atoyebi, in July after a 16-year-old 100-level student spoke up about how he touched her in his office, and other female students started to speak out on an anonymous platform.
A lecturer in the school confirmed that after a long meeting on the matter, the HOD decided to remove Ocheme from a level coordinator role to supervising only male students. He was also suspended from the lecturing role for two years.
“In July, a 100-level student reported that when she went to submit her course form, he tried to put his hands in her skirt. She informed her mother immediately after running out of his office and she told her to report to any female lecturer.
“The issue escalated and it was forwarded to the HOD. The lecturer in question was relieved from administrative duties that would bring him in contact with students as a punishment,” the lecturers who pleaded anonymity said.
In an internal memo signed by Atoyebi, The ICIR saw that Ocheme was asked to hand-over all files, screening materials and other documents including money from his role as the 100-level adviser to a female colleague with immediate effect.
Another lecturer confirmed that the case didn’t go beyond the HOD’s office, noting that the school management was not aware of the case, adding that they have heard at least four sexual harassment stories by lecturers against female students, but it was the male classmates that shared the stories because the female students were afraid.
Sociology HOD speaks
The ICIR contacted the HOD, Sociology, Atoyebi Timothy, and he admitted that Ocheme was reported to him, but not by the affected student directly.
“As a matter of fact, the case was not officially reported to me by the concerned student,” the HOD said, adding that he would decline further comments on the matter until authorisation from his superior.
The ICIR requested that the HOD sort authorisation from the relevant authorities and communicate a convenient date for aN interview and also followed up with multiple messages afterwards but has not received any response as at press time.
A student said that even after Ocheme was removed from the position, his attitude never changed, and students became more afraid to speak up.
“We are more scared now because since the issue came up last semester, and they demoted Ocheme, nothing else has been done. So, everybody is keeping quiet and living their lives. We had an all-female congress in July after the case was reported to the HOD who encouraged us to report if anything went wrong,” the students explained.
Ocheme denies allegations
Ocheme denied any involvement in sexual misconduct with his students, when contacted. Asked about the case that was reported against him in July, the lecturer declined to speak further, explaining that he would contact this reporter once he got the authorisation from the department to speak.
“I don’t know if you will permit me to have the consent of my HOD since it’s a matter regarding the department. Ordinarily, I don’t have any cases reported as such with the HOD, but you know it’s a public place where all of us work. Of course, a lot of female students come in and go out of the office because the school is both male and female.
“The issue of touching one student in July uncomfortably may be with the person. To me, there was nothing as such. It might be masterminded in a way. I don’t know how you got it,” he said.
When asked about the demotion, suspension for two years, and supervising female students, because of the case, Ocheme said the claim was not true.
“I wasn’t demoted. No promotion has bypassed me one day. I’ve not even gotten any warning letter from anywhere since the inception of my work here. Even this semester, I have four courses lecturing. And I have a project student under my supervision.
On the level coordinator role, he said, “Level coordinator is not permanent. So, there are changes from one to the other. Presently, there are some 100 to 400 like that across levels. So, most people do it for just one year. Then another set comes. People run it like that,” he explained, noting that “I have handled three levels, three sections or two.”
Sex for grades
More than five students also confirmed that some female students end up giving in to the demand of becoming the girlfriends of their lecturers because of the pressure from the lectures.
“In my department, most of the female students are dating the lecturers,” a student of Mass Communication, who pleaded anonymity said.
Similarly, students of the Geography and Planning department, alleged that one of their lecturers who is a former HOD Social Science, is well known for sexually harassing female students.
“He is one of the most feared and well known in social sciences for harassing,” a student who wished to remain anonymous said.
This reporter contacted the ex-HOD, Adesola on December 12 through calls and messages for response but none of the calls were returned or messages responded to as of press time.
A student of Sociology also alleged that, “Haruna Abdulkarim asked me to be his and Muhammed’s girlfriend, so that they could take turns in having an affair with me.”
The ICIR also contacted Abdulkarim, who responded with a legal threat, saying: I give you less than two hours to publish your report. We shall meet in the court.”
The lecturer went on to say: “I lecture them as I’m supposed to and give them all the necessary attention. But one thing is clear. You can’t cheat in a class I’m invigilating no matter how smart you think you are. But even at that, I have compassion for them while marking. The reason behind not allowing them to cheat is simply because I want them to be reliant on what they have upstairs rather than whatever material they may have with them.”
FOI request ignored
The ICIR submitted a Freedom of Information (FoI) letter on November 5, to the office of the Registrar of the PAAU requesting clarification and access to information and documents regarding sexual harassment allegations involving lecturers and students between January 2022 to November 5, 2025.
The records of all reported cases of sexual harassment or assault involving and lecturers’ students in PAAU from January 2022 to date, including names and department of alleged perpetrators only, dates and others.
Even though Section 4 subsection 7 of the Act stipulates that all FoI requests must be responded to within seven working days from when the said request was sent or inform the applicant the basis for withholding information and explain why it applies, The ICIR has not received any of the response from the institution.
This reporter contacted the school registrar, Yahaya Segun Alilu, on December 1, 2025, to follow up. He said that the school will respond the next week and asked the reporter to call back. When called back, Alilu said he was in a meeting. He has not responded to his WhatsApp message and calls.
Lack of reporting and fear of retaliation
The Kogi State government in 2024 announced the introduction of a model anti-sexual harassment policy across tertiary institutions, an initiative it claimed came under discussion at a meeting between the Ministry of Education and heads of various institutions to address the heightened concern of sexual harassment against students in higher education.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Students Affairs, Isah Ojodunwen, claimed that the policy’s enforcement had already resulted in the dismissal of several lecturers at Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, who were accused of harassing students.
However, some of the students in the state university insisted they could not report cases of sexual harassment because they did not know the right channel to go about it.
A student asked, “Do you think those female lecturers will want their male lecturers to be punished or sent away? Do you think we can defend ourselves enough to not stand the consequences of being subjected and tagged as false accusers? Do you think the male lecturers don’t know what to do in case they are reported?”
The ICIR observed that PAAU has no public record of disciplinary action against any lecturer or student for sexual misconduct in recent time, unlike other universities that have continued to name and publicise cases of dismissal and rustication for sexual misconduct.
Recently the Lagos State University (LASU) dismissed two lectures over allegations of sexual harassment, financial misconduct, and inhumane treatment of students, in line with the NUC recommendation.
The National Universities Commission recommended a media publicity of sexual harassment cases to Vice Chancellors stating that the public should be aware when any disciplinary action taken against a lecturer or student for sexually harassing a student.
National systemic issue
A 2024 survey by Alliances for Africa (AFA) and the Committee of Gender Directors in Nigerian Universities (CGDNU) reported that 63 per cent of female students across 12 universities in Nigeria had experienced sexual harassment, a crisis thriving unchecked and eroding trust in Nigeria’s educational institutions.
The Nigerian Senate in 2019, proposed legislation aimed at preventing, prohibiting, and redressing sexual harassment of students in tertiary educational institutions, after a BBC investigation on sexual harassment across universities in Nigeria and Ghana exposed series of sexual harassment cases.
The proposed bill prescribes 14 years imprisonment for any academic found guilty of sexual misconduct against students. However, more than four years after the senate passed the bill, it still awaits presidential assent to make it law.
Former president Muhammadu Buhari failed to sign the bill during his term, and incumbent President Bola Tinubu has yet to do so too, two years after his aide assured Nigerians of the president’s support for the bill.
The Assistant Director, Legal and coordinator SHART, at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Olubunmi Olugasa, confirmed that the commission is aware of sexual harassment in PAAU because it has received a sexual harassment petition.
“We have received cases of sexual harassment, but I can’t tell you the facts. From this particular institution, I’m aware of just one case that we received, and we started work on it immediately,” Olugasa said.
ICPC explained that it has introduced the sexual harassment policy to PAAU and other tertiary institutions across the country for adoption and domestication.
“We have involved all the institutions in the 36 states. The commission in partnership with Gender Mobile Initiative is currently supporting 354 higher education institutions to domesticate this policy to reflect their own realities,” she said.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.