University of Lagos Associate Professor accused of rape by female undergraduate

In a disturbing development, a female undergraduate student, whose identity has been withheld, has come forward with allegations of rape against an Associate Professor in the Department of Botany at the University of Lagos, Akoka.

The accused lecturer has been identified as Dr Akeem Kadiri, as the victim alleged that the incident took place during a visit to Dr Kadiri’s office to address concerns related to her academic results.

Instead of addressing her academic issues, the undergraduate alleged that Dr. Kadiri sexually assaulted her on August 16, 2023.

As expected, the victim reported the incident to the Inclusive Social Welfare and Empowerment Foundation (InclusiveSWEF), a non-governmental organization.

InclusiveSWEF subsequently filed a formal complaint with the Gender Unit of the state police command and in a swift response to the issue, the Officer in Charge of the Gender Unit secured a warrant of arrest for Dr Akeem Kadiri through the state High Court.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos has also been brought into the investigation.

Confirming the incident, Benjamin Hundeyin, the State Police Public Relations Officer, stated, “He is to appear in court in the coming days.”

The University of Lagos has acknowledged the ongoing investigation and in a statement by the spokesperson/Head of the Information Unit for Unilag, Mrs Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, said,

• “UNILAG Management, on August 28, received a letter from the Nigeria Police Force, inviting an employee of the university for questioning. The employee was immediately informed of the development and advised to comply.”

She further added,

• “On August 29, the employee complied. While we are not yet privy to the full details of the incident that led to the arrest of the employee, we are fully aware that the investigation is ongoing, and we are cooperating with security agencies to ensure that the matter is resolved in the interest of justice.”