A 20-year-old University of Lagos student has testified in a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja that the Head of Department dismissed her rape allegation against lecturer Samuel Obinna Ojogbo, advising her and her uncle to "let it go." She recounted the incident occurred on August 22, 2025, at around 12:00 noon in Ojogbo's underground office at the Akoka campus, where she said there were no windows or secretaries. The student stated that after her exam, she met Ojogbo, who invited her to his office, where two female students briefly visited but were sent away. She alleged that as she closed the door, Ojogbo pushed her onto a couch, touched her breasts, and raped her. Afterward, she said he promised to supervise her final-year project, copied her exam docket, and took her phone number. She reported the incident immediately to a departmental lecturer, Dr Abu, who contacted her uncle, also a lecturer. Together, they approached the HOD, who questioned the lack of evidence and asked why she did not record the encounter. The prosecution, led by A.O. Azeez, presented the testimony before Justice Oyindamola Ogala. Ojogbo, 53, faces two counts of rape and sexual assault. The student disclosed that attempts were made to settle the matter outside court, but her uncle refused to drop the case.
The most troubling element of this case is not just the alleged assault, but the Head of Department's immediate response—questioning why the student didn't record the incident and telling her to "let it go." This reaction from a senior academic official reflects a systemic minimisation of sexual violence within institutional spaces, where power hierarchies often protect perpetrators rather than support victims.
The university environment, particularly in departments where access and academic progression depend on individual lecturers, creates fertile ground for exploitation. The fact that the accused allegedly promised project supervision—a critical academic advantage—immediately after the assault suggests a calculated abuse of institutional leverage. That the HOD, another figure of authority, defaulted to scepticism instead of initiating protocol reveals how deeply ingrained the culture of silence and dismissal is in academic governance.
For female students at public universities, this case underscores a daily reality: reporting abuse often means facing disbelief, bureaucratic indifference, or pressure to stay quiet. Their safety is compromised not only by potential predators but by the very structures meant to protect them. Academic survival should not depend on enduring or navigating sexual coercion.
This is not an isolated incident but part of a recurring pattern in Nigerian tertiary institutions, where allegations of sexual harassment are routinely downplayed or buried. The normalisation of such responses by senior staff emboldens misconduct and erodes trust in university leadership.
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