Professor Charles Esimone, the vice chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, has removed a lecturer in the faculty of Law, Mr Afam Ezeaku, over allegation of sexual harassment.
Special Adviser to the Vice Chancellor on Public Relations and Special Duties, Dr Emmanuel Ojukwu, made this announcement to journalists in a press release issued on Friday.
Ojukwu denied reports that students protested against sexual harassment at the university, saying they were false.
Some media outlets had reported that students protested because the vice chancellor had not taken action against a lecturer accused of sexual harassment by a panel led by Prof Obi Oguejiofor.
However, Ojukwu stated that these reports were incorrect, and that there had been no such protest.
“It is important to state that there was no protest of any sort in the university.
“However, there is an ongoing investigation concerning alleged sexual harassment by some lecturers. The Vice Chancellor immediately removed the affected lecturers from their official positions and issued those affected strong warning letters in the affected departments.
He explained that the handicap of the university is that the students who alleged sexual harassment were not forthcoming to testify before the investigation panel.”
He further revealed that the Vice Chancellor had held a meeting with the affected departments to express the university’s disappointment and caution the lecturers and staff against any behavior that could tarnish the university’s reputation and warned that the university would not tolerate any form of harassment, particularly sexual harassment, and that there would be severe consequences for any staff members found guilty of such misconduct.