A powerful rebuke of power abuse in Nigeria’s universities resonated through the Senate chamber on Wednesday as lawmakers passed a historic bill imposing up to 14 years in prison for lecturers found guilty of sexually harassing students.
The approval of the Sexual Harassment of Students (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2025 marked a defining step in confronting sexual exploitation in higher institutions — an issue long murmured about in elite circles but rarely addressed with action.
Sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), the bill aims to dismantle what he called a “culture of coercion and silence” that has undermined the trust between students and educators.
Bamidele explained that the law was designed to “protect students from all forms of sexual misconduct and abuse within academic environments,” while promoting respect for human dignity and ethical conduct in teaching.
“This law safeguards the sanctity of the student-educator relationship built on authority, dependency, and trust,” he told lawmakers. “It ensures that no educator ever uses that trust as a weapon of exploitation again.”
Under the new Act, any educator convicted of sexual harassment will face a minimum of five years and a maximum of 14 years in prison, with no option of a fine.
Lesser related offences carry between two and five years of imprisonment, also without a fine.
The law classifies as offences: demanding or coercing sex from a student or prospective student; making unwelcome sexual advances or creating a hostile environment; touching, kissing, hugging, or pinching a student in a sexual manner; sending sexually explicit images or remarks; stalking, or making sexually suggestive jokes or comments.
Even indirect involvement, such as aiding or encouraging someone else to commit sexual harassment, now carries criminal liability.
The Act further eliminates consent as a defence, declaring that “it shall not be a defence that a student consented” to the act. Only a legally recognised marriage between both parties is exempted.
Students or their representatives — including family members, guardians, or lawyers — can now submit a written petition of sexual harassment directly to the Nigerian Police Force, the Attorney-General, or the institution’s Independent Sexual Harassment Prohibition Committee.
All tertiary institutions will be required to establish such committees, which will have the authority to investigate and issue binding decisions in line with the law.
However, once a case proceeds to court, no internal disciplinary panel may continue handling the same matter to prevent jurisdictional overlap.
The passage sparked debate. Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) commended the objective but argued that the legislation should also apply to workplaces and public offices.
“There is no need to restrict this law to students,” he said. “Sexual harassment exists everywhere — in offices, factories, and even politics. We should give this bill universal application.”
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who presided, clarified that because the bill originated from the House for concurrence, substantial changes could not be made.
He further noted that existing laws already address harassment in workplaces, emphasizing that this legislation specifically targets the education sector, where such cases have become disturbingly frequent.
For years, Nigerian universities have been plagued by “sex-for-grades” scandals, many of which ended without justice. The Senate’s action, analysts believe, signals a new zero-tolerance stance against such abuses.
The passage of the bill represents not only a legal breakthrough but also a cultural shift — an effort to restore higher education as a space of mentorship rather than manipulation.
“This law gives voice to the voiceless,” said one female lawmaker after the session. “No student should ever have to trade dignity for a degree.”
With concurrence secured, the bill now awaits the President’s assent to become law — a step expected to set a new moral standard in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
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