Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has suspended a senior lecturer, Prof. Ifeanyi Sunny Odinye, from the Department of Chinese Studies, for a period of three months with half salary, following allegations of sexual misconduct and examination malpractice. The decision was announced on Monday, August 24, 2026, and comes after a viral video showed the professor being stripped and assaulted by suspected students on August 15, 2026. The students allegedly attacked him over an attempt to sexually molest a female student, identified as Chikamso Favour Okechukwu.
According to a statement by the university's Director of Information and Public Relations, Aloysius Emeka Attah, the suspension was based on the preliminary report of a six-man Special Investigative Panel, which submitted its findings on Friday, August 21, 2026. The panel, chaired by Prof. Emmanuel Obidimma, Provost of the College of Postgraduate Studies, indicted Odinye for contravening Section 5.8.3 of the university's General and Academic Regulations (GAR). The panel found that Odinye failed to properly record and submit a case of examination misconduct against the student, Chikamso Favour Okechukwu, and that he returned an offending phone recovered during the examination to the student on the same day, in violation of Section 5.8.1(iv) of the GAR.
The Vice-Chancellor of UNIZIK, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, who approved the suspension, has extended the panel's mandate for another two weeks to complete its investigation. The remaining issues for determination include: whether there was sexual harassment, the identities of the persons involved in the assault on Prof. Odinye, and whether there was any incident of kidnapping in the matter. The university has reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on unethical practices and commitment to transparency and fair hearing. The student at the centre of the controversy, Chikamso Favour Okechukwu, has been referred to the Students' Examination Misconduct Committee for further action.
The suspension, which takes immediate effect, means Odinye will receive half his salary for the three-month period. As the investigation continues, the university has warned that possible criminal prosecution could follow depending on the outcome of the panel's final findings. The incident has sparked widespread debate on social media, with many Nigerians condemning what they perceive as a lenient penalty for a lecturer accused of sexual misconduct. While the university has defended its actions as following due process, critics argue that the suspension without a definitive ruling on the sexual harassment allegation sends the wrong message about the institution's commitment to protecting students.
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