The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill prescribing up to 14 years imprisonment for educators convicted of sexually harassing students in tertiary institutions.
The move comes amid recurring reports of lecturers coercing students for grades, admission advantages and other academic favours—a problem widely documented in Nigerian universities over the years, including the 2019 sex-for-grades undercover investigation that exposed systemic abuse across some institutions.
The bill titled Sexual Harassment of Students (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2025 (HB.1597), was presented for concurrence by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central.
Bamidele said the bill seeks to protect students from sexual misconduct in academic institutions and establish clear legal frameworks for enforcement. He added that it aims to uphold ethical standards and safeguard the integrity of student-educator relationships.
According to the Senate, “Any person who commits any of the offences or acts specified in clause 4 (1), (2) and (3) of this Bill is guilty of an offence of felony and shall, on conviction, be sentenced to an imprisonment term of up to 14 years but not less than 5 years, without an option of a fine.
“(i) Any person who commits any of the offences or acts specified in Clause 4 (4), (5) and (6) of this Bill is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to an imprisonment term of up to 5 years but not less than 2 years, without an option of a fine.”
The bill allows students alleging harassment to file civil suits for breach of fiduciary duty, with proof standards matching civil cases. It lists offences such as demanding sexual favours, making advances, inducing harassment, and unwanted touching or gestures.
Among other things, the new legislation adds that marriage between the educator and student is the only defence, and that consent shall not be considered a defence where an educator-student relationship exists.
The PUNCH