Sexual Misconduct

By Uzair Adam Imam

In an effort to put the menace of raping to an end, the Jigawa State government has on Wednesday approved the death penalty for child rapists in the state.

The Commissioner for Justice and the Attorney General, Dr Musa Adamu, made the announcement at a press briefing.

Sexual assault is one of the issues that linger for a long time in the country that need to be addressed.

Adamu disclosed that anyone convicted of raping a child below the age of 10 would be sentenced to death with no option.

“A total number of 196 case diaries while 178 pieces of legal advice were prepared in respect of the case diaries received. Earlier this year, Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar signed the Violence Against Prohibition Bill, which prescribed the death penalty for rapists but with the option of life imprisonment.

“But recently, the government has also signed the child protection law, which prescribed the death penalty for anyone that raped a child below the age of 10.

“Out of the total number of the case diaries, 90 were rape cases; 27 culpable homicides; sodomy has 31; kidnapping and abduction have a total number of 18 cases; incest two; two 2 acts of gross indecency; 20 armed robberies while road traffic offences have two cases.

“The ministry has prosecuted and defended a total number of 25 appeals before the Court of Appeal, Kano Division and has also completed the prosecution of 83 criminal trials before eight High Courts at Birnin Kudu, Dutse, Gumel Hadejia, Kazaure and Ringim. 34 convictions and 49 defendants were discharged and acquitted.”

By Muhammad Sabiu

Authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have dismissed a senior lecture, Adebayo Mosobalaje, from the institution over alleged sexual misconduct.

The senior lecturer was from the Department of English in the Faculty of Arts.

The dismissal was announced in a statement by the university’s public relations officer, Abiodun Olarewaju.

Mr Olarewaju said, “In its avowed determination to rid the University of any form of sexual intimidation, harassment and, or coercion, the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has dismissed another lecturer who was found guilty of sexual demeanour against a female student.

“The decision to dismiss Dr. Adebayo Mosobalaje of the Department of English Language in the Faculty of Arts was taken by the University Council at its last sitting on Tuesday, September 7th, 2021.

“Having exhaustively deliberated on the report of the Joint Committee of Council and Senate, which investigated the case of sexual harassment against Mosobalaje, the University Council, unambiguously declared its zero tolerance to sexual harassment in any form or guise and, accordingly, applied the appropriate University sanctions for such an offence as contained in the University regulation.”

This is not the first time the OAU got enmeshed in the scandal of sexual misconduct between lecturers and students.

In 2018, a professor of accounting at the institution, Richard Akindele, was also found to have been involved in a sex-for-marks scandal, which got him fired from the institution.

Prof. Akindele demanded five-round sex from a student before he would pass her in a course he took. 

The news went viral after the student exposed him through their recordings in the course of their engagement.

Since 2018 when the story of sexual harassment allegations against a professor of accounting at the university’s Faculty of Administration, Richard Akindele, went viral, the institution has regularly been in the news for similar reasons.

Akindele, who the university dismissed, was also found guilty and sentenced to two years imprisonment following his prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He has since been released.

There is also the unresolved case of a lecturer of International Relations, Bisi Olaleye, and another at the school’s Centre for Distance Learning, Monday Omo-Etan.