The Governing Council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has sacked two lecturers, Boniface Igbeneghu and Samuel Omoniyi Oladipo, who were indicted for sexually harassing students in a BBC documentary aired in 2019.
This development is coming two years after the two lecturers were exposed in a 52-minute documentary by BBC Africa Eye undercover reporters, who posed as students.
The Council, headed by Lanre Tejuoso, took the decision to sack the lecturers during its meeting on Monday based on recommendations of a Senate Committee that investigated the sexual harassment story of BBC’s Africa Eye programme.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by UNILAG’s communication unit, corporate affairs division at the office of the vice-chancellor, the dismissals were effective from Monday, May 31.
The statement read: “The Governing Council of the University of Lagos, at its meeting on Monday, May 31, 2021, approved the immediate dismissal of Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu of the Department of European Languages and Integration Studies, Faculty of Arts and Dr. Samuel Omoniyi Oladipo of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, from the services of the University.
“Council, at its meeting, considered the Report and findings of the Senate Committee set up to investigate allegations of sexual harassment levelled against them in a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service Investigative Series titled AFRICA EYE (which centered on sexual harassment in tertiary institutions).
“The Council consequently decided and approved that both Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu and Dr. Samuel Omoniyi Oladipo be dismissed from the services of the University for misconduct, with effect from Monday, May 31, 2021 in line with section 18 of the University of Lagos Act 1967.
“Council further directed that the Management should review the Sexual harassment Policy as may be necessary and institute effective strategies to prevent future occurrence.”
