Senate passes 14-year jail term bill for lecturers who harass students
Nigeria’s Senate has passed a historic law imposing severe penalties — including up to 14 years in prison — for lecturers found guilty of sexually harassing students, marking a decisive step toward ending sexual misconduct in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The Sexual Harassment of Students (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2025, sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), seeks to dismantle what he described as a “culture of coercion and silence” that has long plagued Nigerian campuses.
“This legislation protects students from all forms of sexual misconduct within academic environments,” Bamidele said. “It restores trust and respect to the student-educator relationship — ensuring authority is never again used as a tool of exploitation.”
Under the new law, any educator convicted of sexual harassment faces between five and fourteen years in prison, without the option of a fine. Lesser offences carry two to five years’ imprisonment.
Acts defined as offences include demanding or soliciting sexual favours, making unwelcome sexual advances, touching or hugging a student suggestively, sending sexually explicit messages or pictures, and creating a hostile or intimidating environment. Even aiding or encouraging others to commit such acts will attract punishment.
Crucially, the Act removes “consent” as a defence — except in cases of lawful marriage between the parties — affirming that students cannot legally consent to sexual relationships with their lecturers.
The legislation also empowers students, their families, or legal representatives to submit petitions directly to the police, the Attorney-General, or institutional Independent Sexual Harassment Prohibition Committees, which every tertiary institution must now establish. These committees will have the authority to investigate complaints and take disciplinary action.
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However, once a case is before a court, institutional panels must suspend proceedings to prevent jurisdictional conflicts.
During the debate, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) supported the bill’s intent but suggested it should be extended to cover harassment in workplaces and public institutions. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North) clarified that the bill, being a concurrence from the House of Representatives, could not be expanded at this stage. He added that existing laws already address workplace harassment, while this Act specifically targets abuses in academia.
The Senate’s decision follows years of public outrage over “sex-for-grades” scandals in universities. Lawmakers and rights advocates hailed the bill’s passage as a cultural turning point.
“This law gives voice to the voiceless,” one female senator said. “No student should ever have to trade dignity for a degree.”
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The bill now awaits presidential assent to become law — a move many see as a defining moment in Nigeria’s fight against sexual exploitation in education.
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