University Lecturer Harasses Married Student
A fresh scandal has erupted at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, as a lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Usman Mohammed, stands accused of sexually harassing a married female student, Kamila Rufa’i.
The lecturer allegedly threatened to fail the student after she rejected his advances.
The matter, which has sparked outrage, was brought to light by the student’s husband, Ja’afaru Buba. Addressing newsmen in Bauchi, Buba disclosed that he had escalated the matter by filing a formal petition to the university authorities.
The petition, prepared by Barrister Mohammed Sani, was also sent to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) in Bauchi for investigation.
The petition, seen by journalists, detailed how the accused lecturer used his position to exploit the student-lecturer relationship.
According to the petition, Usman Mohammed allegedly invited Kamila to his office multiple times and sent inappropriate love messages to her via WhatsApp, despite knowing she is married.
The situation reportedly worsened when Kamila resisted the lecturer’s advances. In retaliation, Mohammed allegedly threatened to fail her in her exams, vowing she would not graduate as an M.Eng. student unless she complied with his demands.
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Buba, speaking through his counsel, insisted that the lecturer’s conduct violated the university’s laws and the conditions of service.
He called on the ATBU management to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that the lecturer is sanctioned appropriately.
“We are seeking justice and an end to the culture of impunity that allows lecturers to exploit female students,” the petition read. Copies of WhatsApp messages, purportedly sent by the lecturer, were attached to the petition as evidence.
In response, the Public Relations Officer of ATBU, Zailani Bappah, stated that he was unaware of the petition but promised to confirm the matter with the university’s management.
Meanwhile, the accused lecturer, Usman Mohammed, has denied the allegations, describing them as baseless.
He revealed that he had filed a defamation suit at the Bauchi State High Court, maintaining that the matter was now sub judice.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
