Pelumi Adewole, a lecturer with the Department of Pure and Applied Science, Kwara State University (KWASU) has been arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ilorin, for allegedly sexually harassing a student and examination malpractice.
The Police First Information (FIR) said the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) received a petition from a student of the Department of Pure and Applied Science of KWASU on October 15, 2021, who said she was sexually harassed by the lecturer.
The Police said the student alleged that sometime in September 2021, Adewole called and threatened to fail her in the forthcoming examination if she refused to have sexual intercourse with him. It said due to the threat, the police instructed the student to play along with him in order to obtain evidence.
“The lecturer thereafter lured the student into his bedroom around 8.30 pm on Taoheed Road, Basin area, Ilorin, where he gave her a new question paper and answer script of KWASU to rewrite her exam with a promise to have sexual intercourse with her till daybreak,” the FIR said.
“The suspect was, however, apprehended in the process by detectives from the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB), who were hiding at a location.”
The prosecutor, Nasiru Yusuf, said the offences contravene sections 397 and 95 of the Penal Code Law and Section 3(320) of the Examination Malpractices Act Cap. E15 Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under the same law.
The lecturer pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Later, the prosecutor prayed the court to remand Adewole in custody, adding that the offences were not bailable. He also argued that sexual harassment had become rampant in institutions of higher learning in the country.
But the defence counsel, A.J. Opalekunde, prayed the court to grant his client bail in liberal terms. He said the defendant was still innocent until found guilty by the court.
Magistrate Ibrahim Mohammed, however, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 with a surety in like sum.
He adjourned the case to December 8, 2021, for further mention.
