An ex-student of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in Kaduna State, Miss Salamatu Bello has demanded the prosecution of a former lecturer of the institution, Bala Umar for allegedly abusing her sexually while she was an undergraduate.
In a video obtained by Channels Television on Monday, Miss Bello demanded proper prosecution of Umar even after his suspension by school authorities at ABU and Kaduna State University (KASU).
According to her, suspending the lecturer is the first step while prosecuting him will serve as a deterrent to other lecturers who may want to take advantage of their positions to harass female students on campuses.
“It is about sexual predators in our academic environment. My question is why was he employed in KASU after he was suspended in ABU? We have many people like him in the academic environment. Our universities are no longer safe because of sexual predators,” she said.
Stating her demands, Bello said, “I want every sexual predator in Nigerian universities to lose their jobs. I want them not to be able to work in the academic environment.
“I want the government to ensure the academic environment is safe for women, boys and girls. They should do more than promising.
“Everyone is telling me that I am not going to get a job and that I am going to be stigmatised but this is more than one person. I am fighting for people who are suffering in silence,” she said.
The lecturer, Bala Umar was sacked by ABU following Bello’s allegation but was said to have been re-employed by the management of Kaduna State University (KASU) in 2013.
However, Miss Bello had last week staged a one-man protest at KASU, to draw the attention of the university about her encounter with him and why he should be sanctioned.
Her protest, however, paid off as the management of KASU suspended the lecturer after a preliminary investigation found him culpable.
Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai also reacted to the allegations against the lecturer.
KADUNA UPDATE: The suspension of Mr. Umar by KASU is the first step. He & 15 lecturers sacked by nearby ABU Zaria for sexual harassment will be fully investigated & prosecuted by the Attorney General of Kaduna State. We must face evil & end this scourge in our state!! @DrHadiza https://t.co/Jw58sAHpc7
— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) October 24, 2019
In a tweet on his official handle, he promised that Umar and 15 other lecturers sacked by ABU Zaria for sexual harassment will be fully investigated and prosecuted by the Attorney General of Kaduna State.
