UNN suspends senior lecturer for alleged sexual harassment of female students

The University of Nigeria Nsukka has suspended a senior lecturer in the Department of Archeology and Tourism, Dr. Chigozie Jude Odum for an alleged sexual harassment of female students in the department.

The University in a suspension letter our correspondent obtained on Tuesday, which was dated February 15, 2021 and signed by Deputy Registrar, Personnel Services Unit, Mrs F. C Achiuwa, ordered the randy lecturer to stay away from the University pending the determination of his alleged sexual misconduct.

The letter which had reference number UNP/SS.11700, with the title: “Suspension” read in part:

“Following the accusation of sexual harassment made against you by a female student in the Department of Archeology and Tourism, the Vice-Chancellor has directed that you be suspended from duty immediately. 

“You are hereby so suspended from duty with immediate effect. 

“You should stay away from your duty post until the final determination of the allegation against you. You should also handover any University property in your custody to the Head, Department of Archeology and Tourism.

“The Bursar is by a copy of this letter, advised to place you on half salary pending final disposal action on your case,” the university stated.

Our correspondent gathered that the suspension was sequel to a petition to the Vice-Chancellor by one Chijioke Onah, Sage fellow, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY titled: “Notification of the University on the sexual misconducts and abuse of power by Dr. Chigozie Jude Odum of the Department of Archeology and Tourism, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.”

The petitioner in the petition, dated February 2, 2021, alleged that Odum, a lecturer in the Department of Archeology and Tourism,
took advantage of his power as a lecturer and teacher to his sister who is currently a final year student in the department of Archeology and Tourism to have carnal knowledge of her.

According to the petition which our correspondent sighted on Tuesday, the petitioner stated, “he (Odum) courted her with threats of the consequences of not accepting his entreaties. To show the evil and wicked mind of Dr. Odum—as many parts of this letter will clearly expose—
he continues to sleep with my sister even as he secretly plans to get married to another
woman. In fact, our internal chronological assessment shows that Odum slept with my sister just a few days before his own marriage.

“That shows the moral bankruptcy and shamelessness of a man who should serve as a teacher, model, and mentor to the University of Nigeria students. 
What is even more shameful and despicable is the manner in which Dr. Odum has conducted himself since the whole episode exploded. 

“When the family got to know of the pregnancy in 
March 2020, we promptly contacted and confronted Dr. Odum. Since our sister was already in the later stage of her pregnancy, we didn’t want to inflame the issue for the sake of her safety and the child. 

“We also thought that Dr. Odum will take advantage of the respect and honor 
accorded to him by our family and try to remedy things. Rather, he completely abandoned the family to suffer the injury that he inflicted on us while he practically returns to business as usual, possibly sleeping with more young women within his reach. 

“Nearly since the family 
became aware, Dr. Odum has emerged out of this scandal-free, not even suffering the
slightest sense of shame while the family has born the full responsibility of his actions. But each time Dr. Odum gets an opportunity, he threatens the mother of the girl and our family with the prospect of ensuring that our sister will not graduate from the university if this case 
is reported.

“It is with this sense of injustice, pain, abuse, neglect, and violation that we write to the university. Our family is deeply invested in the success of the University of Nigeria, and have made efforts to see that this scandal doesn’t taint the university as much as it has tainted my family, and wasted the life of a young girl. But so far, this effort has been unrewarded, if not belligerently ignored. When the ASUU strike ended, we considered the danger of sending our 
daughter back to the mouth of a wolf-like Dr. Odum to be violated again—and the sense of shame that we strongly bear as residents of Nsukka.” 

Onah however, demand a full investigation into Dr. Chigozie Jude Odum activities in the university, adding “I deeply believe that someone who violates and abuses a student he is meant to teach without any sense of regret is not doing it for the first time. Odum’s other crimes and abuses of his authority as a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka must be fully investigated. 

“We demand that Dr. Odum
faces the full weight of the law, and justice served to our family. We also demand a written and formal reassurance from the university that Dr. Odum’s threat to our family has no place in the University of Nigeria, and that my sister’s graduation will not be affected as Dr. Odum has promised us. This is a threat he has repeatedly used, and that we take seriously.”