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We found lecturer liable – Management
Act was consensual – Lecturer
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
A final year student of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Boluwatife Hannah Bababunmi has accused one of her lecturers, Professor Joseph Ayo Opefeyitimi of sexually harrasing, molesting and violating her in his office.
This allegation came after three different lecturers had been dismissed by the university management for sex scandal with female students.
Miss Bababunmi, in a petition she wrote to the university management, dated March 21, 2022, alleged that Opefeyitimi, a professor of Yoruba incantations and Stylistics, of the same department, explained that the 66-year-old professor invited her to his office on March 18, 2022, and as she was leaving, he grabbed her from behind, brought out his manhood and started rubbing it on her hand and buttocks.
The undergraduate, in the petition addressed to the Head of her department and entitled: “Report of Sexual Assault and Molestation Against Professors Ayo Opefeyitimi,” explained that the lecturer pleaded with her to give him a ‘hand-job’ and despite her pleas to be left alone, Opefeyitimi pulled her to himself, rubbing his penis on her hand and buttocks.
“He (Opefeyitimi) sent me a WhatsApp message on Thursday, 17th March, 2022, asking me to see him in his office the following day, between 8am and 2pm. As a lecturer who I respected, I obliged and never questioned his order. I got to his office around 1:23pm. He told me that he only wanted to ask me what was going on, on campus the previous day.
“He decided to leave the office immediately and he packed his things, saying that I was a godsend to him because it was almost 2pm and he needed to pick up his son from school. He carried the bag and as we were about to leave the office, I offered to help him with the bag but he declined and I headed for the door.
“He grabbed me from the behind and held me so tight. At this point, I was in shock. Then, he said and I quote, “I want us to be together, the problem was that boy (name withheld) but I don’t think that should be a problem any longer.” At this point, he had already dropped the bag he was carrying and he held me with his other hand.
“I asked that he should let me go but he didn’t answer me but he stood up from the chair, still forcefully holding me and dragged me to the couch in his office. By this time, he has already pulled down his trousers and brought out his erect penis. He grabbed my right hand and used it to rub his penis it happened so quickly that I was petrified.
“He continued to rub his penis and I was so distressed by the entire situation that I lost count of time. In order to appeal to him to release his hold on me, I then told him that I needed to leave his office immediately because I was already taken too long and someone was patiently waiting for me downstairs.
“At some point, he stood up, dragged me to his table, turned my back to him and was rubbing his penis on me. At this point, all my pleas to him fell on his deaf ears. He pinned me there against the table, rubbing his penis on my back, repeating over and over again, “ose o, ose o” (Thank you). Taking advantage of my vulnerability because he is physically stronger than me, he sexually assaulted, violated and molested me,” Bababunmi revealed.
Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to the department’s head on March 26, 2022, after a panel was set up to investigate the scandal, Opefeyitimi denied the allegation saying the female student was his fiancee and that “all that happened in my office was consensual.”
The don also said the allegations levelled against him were ploy by Bababunmi to escape marrying him.
He said, “Truly, Babafemi Boluwatife Hannah was in my office on Thursday, the 17th March 2022. All that happened in my office was consensual and she was the one that called for it. I never knew she has a grand master plan for me.
“I thought as husband and wife to be right form before she got admission into our department, I could leave her to treat me the way she wanted. I called her as a result of the situation in the town because she lives there and she actually came to update me,” Opefeyitimi said.
However, the management of the university has revealed that “after the receipt of the formal complaints, the departmental committee sat on the matter and, after thorough investigation, Professor Opefeyitimi was found prima facie liable.”
A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olarewaju, on Wednesday, described as unfounded, allegation making the rounds in some quarters, that it was foot dragging in sanctioning Opefeyitimi.
“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 misdemeanor. Previous cases of this nature have not evaded the disciplinary hammer of the University administration.
“The unwholesome incident, which happened on the 18th of 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 the 21st of March, 2022.
“Procedurally, after the receipt of the formal complaints, the first step was that the departmental committee sat on the matter and, after 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.
“We want the general public to be rest assured and be reassured 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. We also pledge to continue to protect our students, particularly the female ones, against any sexual predator, no matter how highly placed.
“As a mark of its zero tolerance for sexual harassment, the present University Management had summarily dismissed three lecturers who had committed similar sexual offences. The first lecturer to be dismissed was of the department of Management and Accounting while the second one was from the department of English Language. The third one, who was given his letter of dismissal last month, was teaching in the department of International Relations,” the statement read.
