He Grabbed me from Behind, Held Me Tight: Lady who Accused OAU Prof of Sexual Harassment Breaks Silence
- A female student who petitioned the management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, over being sexually harassed by a professor in her department has opened up about the incident
- Boluwatife Bababunmi, the victim, stated that Joseph Opefeyitimi of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages carried out the act in his office
- The undergraduate shared how he grabbed her from behind and held her so tight while stating that he wanted the two of them to be together
Boluwatife Bababunmi, a female undergraduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, has accused Professor Joseph Opefeyitimi of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages of sexually harassing her.
In a petition she sent to the university management, Boluwatife stated that the incident happened in the lecturer's office after he requested her presence.
Source: UGC
How Boluwatife was sexually harassed
Boluwatife narrated that she arrived at the professor of Yoruba incantations and stylistics office at about 1:23 pm as the lecturer, who claimed not to have been around the previous day, wanted to find out from her what was happening on campus, The Punch reports.
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''I was astounded to hear that, but I told him to take the Road 7 route when ready to go home because road 1 was blocked. He asked me to sit down and he asked me the reason why the road was blocked. Then I told him that I didn’t really know and heard that it was all about the appointment of the new VC,'' she said.
Upon hearing her testimony, the professor packed his things and decided to leave the office immediately, tagging Boluwatife 'God-sent.'
The lecturer stated that he needed to leave to pick up his son from school as it was close to 2:00 pm.
As he carried his bag to leave, Boluwatife said she offered to help him with it, but he declined. She then headed for the door, but what followed next shocked her.
“He grabbed me from behind and held me so tight. At this point, I was in shock, then he said and I quote, ‘Mo fé kí èmi àti e jo wà papò ni [thrice] but problem tí mo ní telè ni boy Ajibade yen but mi ò rò pé ó ye kó jé problem mó- (I want the two of us to be together (three times), but the problem I had before was that boy called Ajibade, but I don’t think he should pose any challenge again.'
“He grabbed my right hand, and used it to rub his pen*s. It happened so quickly that I was petrified. He continued to do this and I was so distressed by the entire situation that I lost count of time,'' she narrated.
While speaking with Premium Times, the said professor while not denying the allegations, described it as a set-up.
The university spokesperson, Abiodun Olanrewaju, while refuting claims that the institution was foot-dragging on the matter, vowed to continue to protect the students - especially females - against sexual predators.
Popular OAU lecturer dismissed by the institution over sexual harassment
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that an OAU lecturer in the department of English language, Dr Adebayo Mosobalaje, was dismissed by the institution over sexual harassment.
Legit.ng gathered that the lecturer's dismissal was announced in a statement by the university’s spokesman, Abiodun Olarewaju, on Tuesday, September 7, 2021.
The university council said it took the decision after deliberating on the committee's report, which investigated the case of sexual harassment against Mosobalaje.
The statement partly read:
“The decision to dismiss Dr Adebayo Mosobalaje of the Department of English Language in the Faculty of Arts was taken by the University Council at its last sitting on Tuesday, September 7th, 2021."
Source: Legit.ng
