Over the past few days, Nigerian students have taken to social media to share troubling accounts of sexual harassment in their institutions. What began as quiet cries for help in the inbox of an online commentator on X, known by the handle @UnkleAyo, quickly snowballed into a larger conversation about an issue many believe has long festered within the academic system.
Following a wave of direct messages from distressed students, an anonymous reporting link was launched to allow victims share their stories without fear of exposure. The response was swift and overwhelming. Within hours, several testimonies surfaced, implicating at least three lecturers from different universities. Some of the accounts were heartbreaking. Others, disturbingly familiar.
Sexual harassment in Nigerian tertiary institutions is neither a new issue nor an isolated one. Speak to any group of female students, and a worrying pattern emerges. Many have either experienced harassment firsthand or know someone who has. It is a hidden curriculum that too many young women are forced to learn, often in silence.
Despite various policy efforts and public statements by institutions, the reality on many campuses suggests that predatory behavior continues unchecked. However, recent actions by some universities indicate that the culture of silence is beginning to crack.
In April 2025, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, dismissed Dr Usman Mohammed Aliyu, a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering. His dismissal followed the findings of the university’s Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee, which investigated allegations of sexual harassment involving a married postgraduate student.
That same month, the Governing Council of Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) dismissed three lecturers after a thorough investigation into allegations of sexual harassment. Those affected were Nurudeen Hassan of the Mass Communication Department, and Kareem Arigbabu and Olayinka Uthman of the Department of Arts and Design.
In May, the situation escalated further when students of Lagos State University (LASU) raised concerns about the misconduct of a senior faculty member. The public reaction was swift and fierce. Former students began sharing stories from previous years, accusing the same official of similar behaviour.
The university responded. On July 3, 2025, during its 143rd statutory meeting, LASU’s Governing Council announced the dismissal of Professor Olatunji Tajudeen Fasasi Abanikannada, the Dean of the School of Agriculture at the Epe Campus. His offences included sexual harassment, intimidation, and emotional abuse of students. The council also approved the dismissal of another staff member over financial misconduct.
What links many of these cases is a disturbing common thread. The alleged perpetrators were not first-time offenders. Students had spoken in hushed tones. Some had reported through informal channels. But until the weight of public attention forced the hand of university authorities, little or nothing had been done.
For many students, especially females, the fear of retaliation is real. Reporting a senior lecturer can mean academic suicide. Grades can be manipulated. Research can be blocked. Degrees can be delayed. In some cases, even peers or colleagues are complicit, turning a blind eye to abuse they know is happening within their own departments.
The truth is stark. Nigeria’s higher education system has not done enough to protect students from those who misuse their positions of authority. A university is supposed to be a place of learning, not of fear.
If the academic space is to be safe for all students, real reform must begin with real accountability. Policies alone are not enough. There must be mechanisms that students trust. This includes the establishment of an independent, anonymously accessible, and professionally managed reporting system that operates outside the influence of university management.
Such a system must guarantee protection for whistleblowers and victims. Too often, students feel unsafe using official university channels because they fear that their reports will be buried or, worse, used against them by friends or allies of the accused.
Until Nigerian universities make it clear that protecting students takes precedence over protecting reputations, the cycle will continue. The walls may never speak, but the students will. And when they do, it is the responsibility of institutions not just to listen, but to act.
