Police in Enugu State have taken into custody Mr. Mfonobong Udoudom, a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, who was suspended indefinitely after a video emerged showing him allegedly harassing a female student in his office.
The university announced the suspension in a statement on Tuesday, following which officers from the Nsukka Area Command arrested the lecturer. A university source confirmed that Udoudom is currently being held at the Nsukka Police Area Command but further details about the ongoing investigation remain unclear.
The lecturer who was caught in a viral video wearing a pair of boxers was said to be a lecturer in the General Studies Division of the university.
Although our correspondent could not independently ascertain the day the incident occurred, the university said he would be investigated.
In a statement on Tuesday, signed by its acting Public Relations Officer, Chief Okwun Omeaku, the university said the randy lecturer had been suspended indefinitely while clarifying that he is not a professor.
His indefinite suspension, according to the statement, is to enable a thorough investigation into the incident by a disciplinary panel constituted by the university.
“The indefinite suspension is with immediate effect pending the outcome of a disciplinary panel constituted by the university to investigate the incident,” the statement noted.
“For the records, the University of Nigeria has a zero tolerance for sexual misconduct involving our staff and students. The UNN is among the few universities in the country that has a Sexual Harassment Policy, which guides the relationship between our staff and students in particular and among our male and female staff members.
“As a university, we are committed to protecting our students from any form of abuse and exploitation, and the university management will not hesitate to punish Mr Mfonobong David Udoudom, according to our rules, if he is found guilty by our disciplinary panel,” the statement read.
In the viral video, a voice was overheard saying, “We have been following this case from day one, we have tracks, all the voice notes and everything.”
Another voice, supposedly, a member of the task force was overheard saying in Igbo language, “If you want to ask questions, ask now, it is not when we have taken him out that people will start saying ru…sh.”
Meanwhile, when the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, was contacted on the telephone over the incident, he simply said he was driving and requested a text message.
As of the time of filing this report, he had yet to respond to the message sent to him.
However, the Enugu State Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development has said that it will ensure that justice will prevail in the matter, noting that the administration of Governor Peter Mbah has zero tolerance on all forms of gender-based violence, harassment or exploitation.
The Commissioner for Gender, Mrs Ngozi Enih, spoke to our correspondent on the incident saying, “The Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development is aware of the matter and is keenly following developments.
“We are aware that the lecturer in question has been suspended indefinitely by the school authorities and an investigative panel has been set up to look into the matter.
“We are very much interested in getting to the root of the matter and there will be no sweeping of anything under the carpet. We are determined to ensure that justice prevails for all.
“Be it known that under the watch of His Excellency, Peter Mbah, Enugu State has zero tolerance for any form of gender-based violence, harassment or exploitation.”
