Professor accused of forcing his female students to sleep with him in his office

Professor of Yoruba incantations and stylistics at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Joseph Opefeyitimi is accused of pressuring female students to have affairs with him.

According to Abiodun Olarewaju, the University’s Public Relations Officer, the incident occurred on March 18, 2022, and the student reported it three days later to the school administration.

The statement titled, ‘S£x Scandal: OAU Not Foot-dragging’ revealed that upon thorough investigation, Opefeyitimi was found prima facie liable and won’t evade the appropriate sanction.

“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,” the statement partly reads.

“Second stage was the Faculty level and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, professor Niyi Okunoye referred the matter to the anti-s£xual 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 s£xual 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 s£xual 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.