In his reaction to the recent high profile revelation of sexual abuse cases in institutions of higher learning in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari says that stricter laws are needed to prevent girls from being abused in schools.
President Buhari said in Abuja on Friday that he is glad that the incident, exposed through under-cover news reporting at the University of Lagos, has spurred an amendment to our laws regarding the issue in the National Assembly.
He said such proposed amendments passed by the Legislature will get his support as long as they conform to the constitution of Nigeria.
“The country must do more to address incidents of sexual violence, sexual abuses in our schools, discrimination, human trafficking and cultural practices that violate women’s rights,” said the Nigerian leader.
He urged law enforcement agencies and school administrators to take up such cases with every seriousness and ensure that perpetrators face the consequences of their actions.
“Survivors and their families must avoid cover up. They should be encouraged to come forth and report cases of abuses wherever and whenever they occur,” the President demanded.
A documentary filmed by the BBC on sex-for- grade scandal at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) forced the university to suspend two lecturers and shut the love nest in the campus.
The lecturers are Dr Boniface Igbeneghu of the Department of Arts and Dr. Samuel Oladipo, in the Department of Economics.
Dr Boniface Igbeneghu, was fingered in the documentary where he was demanding sex from a journalist who posed as a 17-year-old admission seeker.
BBC Africa Eye investigated academic institutions in West Africa over sexual harassment by lecturers and exposed the lecturers in a video that has gone viral.
The university, founded in 1962, has also shut down the staff club referred to as ‘Cold Room’, where lecturers allegedly sexually assault students.
The Principal Assistant Registrar (Communication Unit) of the university, Mr Taiwo Oloyede, said on October 7, 2019 that management held an emergency meeting and handed down the suspension.
MM/as/APA