Nigerian university speaks on alleged extortion of students by lecturers

The University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) management in Enugu State has spoken about an allegation that its staff were extorting postgraduate students from the institution.

How it started

Rufai Oseni, a programme anchor at Arise TV, had raised an alarm about extortion in the university’s Department of Political Science.

Mr Oseni said he was pursuing a doctorate degree in the department.

In a post on his X handle earlier on Tuesday, the Arise TV anchor alleged that some lecturers, mainly the department’s head and the coordinator of the university’s postgraduate programme, were extorting between N35,000 and N500,000 from postgraduate students.

He pointed out that the lecturers allegedly carry out the extortion using class representatives who usually report back to them.

‘We‘ll investigate the allegations’

Reacting in a statement on Tuesday, the university spokesperson, Okwun Omeaku, said the institution would investigate the allegations against the lecturers.

Mr Omeaku said the university “strictly prohibits” any form of extortion of both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The spokesperson argued that the university upholds “stringent ethical standards” for all staff and students and suggested that the institution would “promptly” address the allegation.

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“The UNN management will conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations of extortion in our department of political science,” he said.

“We urge the affected students to cooperate with the process by providing evidence that will aid in identifying the culprits.”

‘Bad eggs’

Mr Omeaku said the university management would continue to protect students from the activities of “a few bad eggs” within the institution.

“However, we encourage our students to first report their grievances to the university administration through the appropriate communication channel established to safeguard the complainant,” he said.

The latest allegation is happening two months after a lecturer from the university was accused of attempting to sexually molest a female student in the institution.

The alleged sexual attempt on the female student occurred in April 2024.

The lecturer, Mfonobong Udoudom, who works at the University’s School of General Studies Programme Unit, was later suspended indefinitely.