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The Senate on Wednesday passed a bill prescribing up to 14 years imprisonment for lecturers and other educators convicted of sexually harassing students in tertiary institutions across the country.
The concurrence Bill, titled: “Sexual Harassment of Students (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2025 (HB.1597),” seeks to curb a persistent pattern of exploitation in Nigerian campuses, where students, especially women, are coerced into sexual relationships in exchange for grades, admission, or other academic favours.
The bill, presented for concurrence by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), established clear legal standards to punish offenders and protect students from all forms of sexual misconduct in schools.
Bamidele, who was represented by his deputy, Oyelola Ashiru, said the legislation aims to “promote ethical conduct, preserve the sanctity of the educator-student relationship, and uphold respect for human dignity in academic environments.”
Under the new law, any educator convicted of the offences specified in Clause 4 (1–3) will face imprisonment of between five and 14 years, without an option of a fine.
Those found guilty under Clause 4 (4–6) risk two to five years in jail, also without an option of a fine.
The proposed law also allows victims or their representatives to file civil actions for breach of fiduciary duty, with the standard of proof consistent with civil proceedings.
The offences specified in the Bill include: “Demanding or receiving sexual favours to grant academic benefits;
Making unwelcome sexual advances or gestures;
Inducing others to commit harassment; and unwanted physical contact or conduct of a sexual nature.
The bill stipulates that marriage between the educator and the student is the only valid defence, and that consent cannot be used as a defence where an educator–student relationship exists.
It further provides that sexual harassment complaints may be lodged by the victim, relatives, guardians, or any concerned party to the Police or Attorney-General, with copies forwarded to the institution’s Independent Sexual Harassment Prohibition Committee.
During debate, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) urged the Senate to expand the scope of the law to cover workplaces and other sectors, arguing that harassment was not limited to schools.
“There is no need to restrict sexual harassment issues to students. We should craft this law in a way that gives it universal application,” he said.
However, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over plenary, explained that the bill was already passed by the House of Representatives and was before the Senate only for concurrence.
He added that existing laws already address harassment in workplace settings.
The bill was thereafter adopted and passed for third reading.
The passage comes amid a series of sexual harassment scandals reported in universities across Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Nsukka, Kano, Benin and Abuja, which have often gone unpunished due to fear of victimisation, stigma, and opaque internal disciplinary systems.
Rights groups have hailed the move as a significant step toward ending impunity for sexual abuse in academic institutions and empowering victims to seek justice without fear.
