UNIZIK Suspends Professor Over Viral Sexual Assault Allegation as Probe Continues
The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, has suspended Professor Ifeanyi Sunny Odinye of the Department of Chinese Studies for three months with half salary following a preliminary investigation into a viral incident that saw the lecturer stripped and beaten by students over an alleged sexual assault attempt. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, approved the suspension following recommendations from a six-man Special Investigative Panel chaired by Prof. Emmanuel Obidimma, Provost of the College of Postgraduate Studies, which submitted its preliminary report on 21 August 2026. The university has also referred the student at the centre of the incident, Chikamso Favour Okechukwu, to the Students’ Examination Misconduct Committee. Additionally, the Vice-Chancellor has extended the panel’s duration by two weeks to enable it to fully address its five-point terms of reference.
On 15 August 2026, a disturbing scene unfolded on the UNIZIK campus. A video that quickly went viral showed a female student emerging from Prof. Odinye’s office clutching his clothes and alleging that the lecturer had attempted to sexually assault her. The student was heard shouting that the lecturer had tried to rape her, prompting some persons—believed to be students—to pursue the academic, who had boarded a tricycle and exited the premises. The embattled lecturer was seen wearing only his academic gown at the time of the incident, apparently after the student had left with his dress. The video later showed at least six men hitting and stomping on the lecturer, who was completely stripped within the university premises. Reports indicate he was beaten severely. The female student, seen crying after reportedly running out of the lecturer’s office, was said to have pretended to agree to a sexual encounter until the lecturer had removed most of his clothes, after which she fled with them.
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In its preliminary report, the panel addressed two of the five issues contained in its terms of reference and indicted Prof. Odinye for contravening Section 5.8.3 of the university’s General and Academic Regulations (GAR). Specifically, he was found to have failed to record and submit the case of examination misconduct against Chikamso Favour Okechukwu on the prescribed Examination Misconduct Report Form, and to have returned the offending phone recovered during the examination to the student on the same day, in total disregard of Section 5.8.1(iv) of the GAR. Notably, the panel deferred consideration of the allegation of sexual harassment against the lecturer, stating that further investigations were required to establish the facts surrounding the claim.
The panel has been granted a two-week extension to address the remaining three issues for determination: whether there was sexual harassment of the student, the identities of the persons involved in the assault meted out to Prof. Odinye, and whether there was any incident of kidnapping in connection with the matter. The university’s Public Relations Officer, Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah, stated that committee members are expected to conclude their findings with recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor before a final verdict is reached, including possible criminal prosecution.
Reports indicate that the incident may have stemmed from a prior encounter where the lecturer caught the student with a phone during an examination. What began as an examination misconduct case escalated dramatically, resulting in the lecturer being publicly assaulted, stripped, and subjected to what university management condemned as “jungle justice.” The Vice-Chancellor reiterated the stance of his administration’s prioritisation of staff and student welfare and zero tolerance for unethical practices while upholding the principles of transparency and fair hearing. The university stressed that the suspension was based on findings already established by the panel, while unresolved allegations will be determined after the completion of the ongoing investigation.