ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
Two lecturers of the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, Musa Baba Abubakar of the General Studies Department and Adebusoye Michael Sunday of the Nutrition and Dietetics Department, have been dismissed for sexual harassment of two female students.
The Rector of the institution, who disclosed this at a press conference, at the end of the Governing Council’s 98th meeting which held for several hours on Saturday, said the two lecturers were found guilty of sexually harassing their students.
NATIONAL ACCORD reports that the Prison Inmate Development (PIDI-NIGERIA), in a letter of complaint addressed to the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, through the Director Public Prosecution of the Ministry of Justice, Bauchi, signed by a Human Rights Defender, Japhet Ikita, alleged that the management of Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, have displayed a tactic to offer cover up Baba who is “adjudged a serial rapist, sexual harasser and intimidator of female students in the institution without making it public for prosecution.”
The petition which was dated 7th October, 2021, was titled: Emergency: PIDI-Nigeria condemns concealment of rape, sexual harassment and intimidation of two female students by Abubakar Baba, a lecturer and the Management of Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.
“That the lecturer, having defiled one 17-year old female student was caught red handed by the Rector of the school accordingly; accused of sexually molesting many female students and forcing himself on them.
“That for emphasis sake, he was perhaps not ready to stop without applying any form of big stick, when he was caught red-handed, pardoned and his colleagues apologized to the school management” Ikita said.
He quoted one of the victims as saying: “He took a knife and threatened me that if I don’t agree to have sex with him, he will injure me. I was very scared, then he came close to me, used his hands and pulled down my clothes by the waist side leaving the rest of my clothes and raped me; there was blood and it was my first time”.
He said that the victim who spoke to the organization in confidence, said she lost her virginity to Baba in 2016 when she was 17 years old, adding that she lodged her complaint to the Head of Department of Mass Communication verbally, and she was directed to put it in written; but nothing was done in that regard to date.
The Human Rights Activist said that the victim was scared by the threat of the school management not to inform her parents or guardians and not to grant audience or approach to any authority.
He alleged that the school management withdrew the case from Police station at “D Division” Yelwa, claiming to set a committee for investigation of the matter within three weeks which elapsed last week of September 2021.
But Arc. Gumau, who addressed journalists at the end of the meeting which lasted for several hours, denied the allegations that the school management was trying to cover up the matters and the erring lecturers.
Gumau who was flanked by the Chairman of the Governing Council and other Council members said: “I welcome you to witness the final verdict of all that have been making waves in the media concerning the issue of our staff who was reported to have been allegedly involved in rape, Abubakar Musa Baba.
“But what surprises me the most is that, it is only his own name that is being mentioned. The other lecturer’s name was silent in the media, I don’t know the reason or the rationale behind it.
“This issue of Musa Baba, came up on 3rd of August, 2021. The extant rules of the Polytechnic is that, if an issue of this magnitude happens, the complainant has to write. And immediately when she wrote, the Registrar, that very evening, was in my house with her HOD.
“I directed that the staff be queried which was the next line of action as per the extant rules of our institution as provided by the federal government and this is what is binding to all the other polytechnic bylaws.
“When I queried him, he replied but when the reply was not satisfactory, we established a committee to investigate that matter thoroughly to its logical conclusion,” he said.
He further said: “After the committee submitted its report, the next authority that should have looked into the issue is the Sub-Committee of the Council. And the Council normally meet quarterly. This issue happened after the last council and it was the next meeting that would decide on the case. And that is why all these intimidations by the media and the Human Rights Activists, I remained silent on it.
“The Senior Staff Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary Committee met and invited the suspect. We cross-examined him and made our recommendations to the Council.
“The Council today, has finally, approved the dismissal of Abubakar Musa Baba from the service of the Polytechnic, Bauchi. Also, Adebusoye Michael Sunday, is also dismissed from the services of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi with effect from Saturday on a similar case. That is the decision of the Council on these issues.
“Fortunately, the two ladies (victims), have military backgrounds. The case of Musa Baba, the student involved, her father is a military man. This second one also, her sister who was financing her, is a military personnel. She was the one who gave her the clue on how to go about the case.”
The Rector said that the issue has been treated to its logical conclusion pointing out that “the Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, in its 98th sitting, has finally, dismissed these two staff.”
He said that the dismissal letters of the two lecturers would be handed to the appropriate authorities of the government who have assisted them especially the Police and the DSS.
Gumau also expressed gratitude to the Bauchi Emirate Council State for giving them the backing and the Bauchi state government for prompt action on the issue of security pointing out that, “the way this issue was taken in the media, was about to set this school ablaze.
“There was never a time that the management tried to cover up the matter. We had to have the respect of the extant rules, otherwise, if we had treated it the way the media wanted it and we hasten up to take a decision, if he goes to court, he will win the case and go scot-free.”
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