Buhari to victims of sexual violence: Do not cover up cases of abuse

By Bimbo Ogunnaike

President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed victims of sexual violence not to cover up cases of abuse but report incidents to appropriate quarters.

Buhari was reacting to the BBC documentary which showed how Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu was  caught on camera soliciting sex from an admission seeker, and how Dr. Samuel Oladipo was caught on video soliciting sex from a “student that want to change the course of study.

The institution had announced the suspension of Igbeneghu on Monday on Monday, while Oladipo was suspended on Tuesday.

The President made the appeal  in a statement on Friday signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

According to the statement, the institution said that it was awaiting information from the panel set up in June 2018 to investigate allegation of sexual harassment of another professor.

Buhari condemned the cases of sexual violence in tertiary institutions in the country and faulted such incidents.

“Survivors and their families must avoid cover-up. They should be encouraged to come forth and report cases of abuses wherever and whenever they occur,” Buhari said.

The president, who stressed the need for stricter laws to prevent girls from being abused in schools, noted that the incidents at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) which were exposed through an undercover news reporting.

The President stated he was happy that the revelation has spurred an amendment to the nation’s laws regarding the issue in the National Assembly.

He gave assurance that such proposed amendments passed by the Legislature would get his support as long as they conform to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The country must do more to address incidents of sexual violence, sexual abuses in our schools, discrimination, human trafficking and cultural practices that violate women’s rights,”Buhari said.

He, therefore, urged law enforcement agencies and school administrators to take up such cases with every seriousness and ensure that perpetrators face the consequences of their actions.