A 20-year-old student of the University of Lagos has told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja that a lecturer, Samuel Obinna Ojogbo, allegedly raped her in his office on the institution’s Akoka campus.
The student, who testified on Wednesday before Justice Oyindamola Ogala, appeared as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial. The Lagos State Government is prosecuting the 53-year-old lecturer on a two-count charge bordering on rape and sexual assault.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, A.O. Azeez, the witness said the incident occurred around noon on August 22, 2025.
She recounted that a day earlier, while she was writing an examination, the defendant approached her and engaged her in a brief conversation about the test before asking her to see him in his office after the exam.
The witness told the court that she made attempts to meet him twice after the examination but did not find him in his office.
She said on August 22, after completing another exam, she met the lecturer near her faculty while heading to her hostel. According to her, he signalled for her to wait, after which they proceeded together to his office.
Describing the location, she said the office was underground, without windows or a secretary present. She added that two female students briefly entered during their discussion but were sent away by the lecturer.
The witness alleged that shortly after the students left, the lecturer asked her to shut the door. As she attempted to do so, he allegedly pushed her onto a couch and sexually assaulted her.
Fighting back tears in court, she said he touched her inappropriately and forced himself on her.
She further claimed that after the incident, the lecturer made promises regarding her academic future, including supervising her final-year project. She said he also collected her exam docket, made a copy, and took her phone number.
According to her, she left the office in distress and immediately reported the incident to a friend, after which they decided to take the matter further.
The student said she initially reported to a lecturer in her department, who contacted her uncle, also a lecturer, before they escalated the complaint to the Head of Department.
However, she alleged that the Head of Department questioned her claims and advised her to let the matter go, while the defendant denied the allegation.
She told the court that her uncle insisted on pursuing the case, leading them to the university’s Servicom office, where she was taken to a medical centre for examination and treatment.
The witness added that she later reported the case to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, which referred her to the police. She said she was first taken to Bariga Police Station and later to WARIF for further examination, after which the case was transferred to the Gender Unit for investigation.
She also informed the court that there were subsequent attempts by the defendant’s family and associates to initiate a settlement.
Justice Ogala adjourned the case until April 27, 2026, for cross-examination of the witness.
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