Management of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife in Osun State has said it will prosecute a professor who was alleged to have sexually assaulted a female student in his office.
The assurance came following allegations in some quarters that the management was foot- dragging in sanctioning the erring lecturer.
In a statement by the public relations officer of the university, Abiodun Olarewaju, the management said the unwholesome incident, which happened on 18th March, 2022, prompted Boluwatife Hannah Bababunmi of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages to write a petition to the university management against Joseph Ayo Opefeyitimi, a professor of Yoruba Incantations and Stylistics, of the same department, on 21st March, 2022.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University have never shielded and will not shield any staff or student found to have committed any sexual misdemeanour. Previous cases of this nature have not evaded the disciplinary hammer of the University administration,” the statement said.
“Procedurally, after the receipt of the formal complaints, the first step was that the departmental committee sat on the matter and, after a thorough investigation, Professor Opefeyitimi was found prima facie liable.
“Second stage was the faculty level and the dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Niyi Okunoye referred the matter to the anti-sexual harassment committee of the university. The committee, which also sat and clinically deliberated on this same matter, recommended appropriate disciplinary actions against Professor Ayo Opefeyitimi to the university management.
“Of course, the university administration would have to present its recommendations to the Governing Council which has the final say on the matter, considering the status of the staff involved,” he said.
He gave the assurance that the present university management does not condone sexual rascality of any form, under any guise against any member of the University community from anybody no matter how highly placed.
He noted that as a mark of its zero tolerance for sexual harassment, the management had summarily dismissed three lecturers who had committed similar sexual offences