LASU Probes Allegation Of Sexual Abuse Against Lecturer

Following an alleged sexual assault of a student, the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, said, yesterday, that it had issued a query to an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics adding that the case was already before a Joint Action Disciplinary Committee.

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

An Associate Professor of Economics in 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. Amuni said: “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 a 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 evidence before us and if the evidence are not genuine, we won’t push further. “But if we can find an element of truth in what is before us, the matter is sent to disciplinary committee and the sanction for such activities is dismissal.”