By Timothy Agbor, Osogbo

We found lecturer liable, says management

A fresh sex scandal case is rocking the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, as a final year student of Department of Linguistics and African Languages in the institution, Boluwatife Hannah Bababunmi has accused her lecturer, Professor Joseph Opefeyitimi, of sexually harrasing, molesting and violating her in his office.

Bababunmi, in a petition, dated March 21, alleged that Opefeyitimi, a professor of Yoruba Incantations and Stylistics invited her to his office on March 18, 2022, and as she was leaving, he grabbed her from behind, brought out his manhood and started rubbing it on her hand and buttocks.

The undergraduate, in the petition addressed to the head of her department and entitled: “Report of Sexual Assault and Molestation Against Professors Ayo Opefeyitimi,” explained that the lecturer pleaded with her to give him a ‘hand-job’ and despite her pleas to be left alone, Opefeyitimi pulled her to himself, rubbing his manhood on her hand and buttocks.

MEANWHILE, Opefeyitimi, in a letter addressed to the Head of Department on March 26, after a panel was set up to investigate the scandal, denied the allegation, saying “all that happened in my office was consensual.”

He said: “Truly, Babafemi Boluwatife Hannah was in my office on Thursday, March 17, 2022. All that happened in my office was consensual and she was the one that called for it. I never knew she had a grand master plan for me.”

However, the management of the university, yesterday, revealed that “after receipt of the formal complaint and response, the departmental committee sat on the matter and, after thorough investigation, Professor Opefeyitimi was found prima facie liable.”

A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olarewaju said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University have never shielded and will not shield any staff or student found to have committed any sexual misdemeanor. Previous cases of this nature have not evaded the disciplinary hammer of the University administration.

“The unwholesome incident, which happened on March 18, 2022, prompted Boluwatife Hannah Bababunmi of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages to write a petition to the University Management against Joseph Ayo Opefeyitimi, a professor of Yoruba incantations and Stylistics, of the same department, on the 21st of March, 2022.

“Procedurally, after 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.”