Thursday, April 24, 2025 - The management of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, has dismissed one of its lecturers, Dr. Usman Mohammed Aliyu, over an allegation bordering on s£xual harassment of a married student.
The dismissal follows a petition filed last year by Mrs
Kamila Rufai Aliyu, a postgraduate student in the Department of Chemical
Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Engineering Technology.
The student also accused Dr. Aliyu of threatening her
academic success if she failed to comply with his demands.
In a dramatic turn of events, the lecturer filed a
defamation suit in response to the allegations.
The student, a married woman, alleged that Aliyu made sexual
advances, harassed her, and issued threats of failing her in his course if she
didn’t succumb to his s£xual demands.
The husband of the victim, Ja’afaru Buba, through his legal
counsel, had filed petitions against the lecturer with the university’s
management, the head of the department, and the Independent Corrupt Practices
and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
In the petition, Kamila’s lead counsel, Barrister Mohammed
Sani, stated: “Our client, Kamila Rufa’i Aliyu, a student of the M.Eng.
Chemical Engineering program at ATBU, was repeatedly harassed by Dr. Usman
Mohammed Aliyu, who taught her courses such as CHE 635 (Polymer Processing) and
currently teaches her CHE 656 (Fluidization).
“Despite knowing she was married, Dr. Aliyu invited her to
his office multiple times and sent her inappropriate love messages via
WhatsApp.”
The petition further stated that Kamila resisted Aliyu’s
advances, leading him to allegedly threaten to fail her in exams and prevent
her from graduating. It was also claimed that Aliyu told Kamila’s friends he
would fail her due to her refusal.
Sani argued that Aliyu’s actions violated university
regulations and conditions of service.
In an update on the matter in its April 22, 2025 edition
(Vol. 39, No. 5), the university’s official newsletter, ATBU Herald, announced
that the institution’s Governing Council, at its 96th regular meeting held on
April 11, 2025, approved Aliyu’s dismissal based on the findings of the Senior
Staff Disciplinary Committee.
The report stated that the lecturer was found guilty of an
“indecent relationship involving a student,” in violation of Chapter 3, item
f.1(o) of the Senior Staff Conditions of Service.
The university has directed Aliyu to hand over all
university property in his possession and submit his staff ID card to the Chief
Security Officer with immediate effect.
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