Female Students Report Multiple Sexual Assaults At University of Lagos’ College of Medicine

Several cases of sexual assault and sexual harassment have been reported by female students at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL), Nigeria, the latest of which occurred on Wednesday, June 26.

A statement released by the College of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences Student Association (COMPSSA) and sighted by West Africa Weekly revealed that a male student, Samuel Adigwe, from the Faculty of Pharmacy had sexually harassed a female student from the Department of Radiography while they were both studying in the Cold Room.

According to the statement, the alleged misconduct occurred at 1 am when the victim had fallen asleep. It partly read:

“The first time he attempted inappropriate contact, the victim pushed his hands away. He repeated the action, leaving the victim dumbfounded and scared. She subsequently called her friend, who confronted Mr Adigwe in the Cold Room. Mr Adigwe allegedly stated, “It was mutual,” despite the victim barely knowing him.”

Upon returning to her room, an acquaintance of both the victim and Mr Adigwe called the victim, attempting to coerce her to come downstairs, which she refused, further adding to her distress and anguish.

The statement, however added that upon the association receiving a report of the incident, the case was immediately reported to the DSA’s office, and investigation by the school was ongoing.

Meanwhile, this is only one of such cases plaging the institution, as reports online indicate that numerous male students are involved in sexual harassment towards their classmates.

A source, who chose to remain anonymous, lamented the situation, saying:

“This sexual assault issue is not only happening in Medilag (CMUL). It is the whole UNILAG. 100-level to 200-level students are being sexually assaulted by their male lecturers. We can’t even report to anyone because they are all the same, from the normal common lecturer to the dean of faculty himself. It is either you drop your money or you drop your body.”

A petition with over 1,800 signatures as of the time of filing this report has been put up, mandating accountability for sexual harassment cases at the institution.

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