Angry students at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, attacked and stripped a lecturer in the Department of Chinese Studies after a female student fled his office holding his clothes and alleged attempted s*xual misconduct.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 15, 2026, within the university premises in Anambra State, Nigeria.
According to accounts from the scene reported by local media, the female student emerged from the lecturer’s office crying, carrying the academic’s clothes, which she presented as evidence.
Reports say that she had given the impression of willingness to engage in a s*xual encounter and waited until the lecturer removed most of his clothes before grabbing them, fleeing, and raising the alarm.
A viral video circulating on social media showed at least six men, believed to be students, punching, stomping on, and further stripping the lecturer, who was left completely naked on campus.
The lecturer’s identity was not immediately released in initial university statements, though later reporting identified him as Professor Ifeanyi Sunny Odinye of the Department of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Arts—the first indigenous professor of Chinese language and linguistics in Nigeria and Africa, according to institutional information. The student’s identity has not been publicly confirmed.
UNIZIK management strongly condemned the assault and what it called “jungle justice.” In a statement issued by Director of Information and Public Relations Aloysius Attah, the university said Vice-Chancellor Professor Ugochukwu Anyaehie had ordered an immediate, comprehensive, and impartial investigation into the circumstances.
“Management is deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident and strongly condemns the resort to violence, self-help, or any form of jungle justice under any circumstance,” the statement read.
It reaffirmed the institution’s zero-tolerance policy on s*xual misconduct and harassment while stressing that allegations must be handled through established procedures and due process. “No individual or group is permitted to take the law into their own hands within the university environment.” The university said appropriate administrative processes had been activated to ensure justice for all parties and that further updates would follow.
The episode fits a broader pattern of “s*x-for-marks” and s*xual harassment allegations that have periodically erupted on Nigerian university campuses.
Similar cases in recent years have involved lecturers accused of demanding s*xual favours in exchange for grades, sometimes leading to public confrontations, suspensions, or dismissals. A comparable allegation surfaced roughly a month earlier at nearby Paul University in Awka, where a lecturer was suspended over claims of serious s*xual misconduct after a video showed a man in shorts hiding near an office following an alleged encounter.
Rights groups have called for separate, thorough probes into both the misconduct allegation and the subsequent mob assault, warning against replacing due process with vigilante action.
As of the latest reports, the university investigation remains ongoing, with no final determination on the facts of what occurred inside the office or the identities of all those involved in the physical confrontation. Further developments are expected from UNIZIK authorities.
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