The Nigerian Senate has approved a landmark bill prescribing up to 14 years imprisonment for educators found guilty of sexually harassing students in tertiary institutions, marking one of the strongest legislative moves yet to combat sexual misconduct in the country’s academic system.
The decision follows years of public outrage over recurring cases of lecturers coercing students for grades, admissions, and other academic favours a scourge that has tainted the reputation of many institutions and eroded trust in the education sector.
The bill, titled Sexual Harassment of Students (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2025 (HB.1597), was presented for concurrence by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele of the All Progressives Congress, representing Ekiti Central.
According to Bamidele, the legislation seeks to provide robust protection for students against all forms of sexual exploitation, harassment, and misconduct within academic environments, ensuring accountability through clear legal frameworks and defined penalties for offenders.
Senator Bamidele emphasised that the bill was designed to promote and safeguard ethical standards in tertiary institutions, describing it as a necessary step to uphold the sanctity of the educator-student relationship — one rooted in trust, respect, and the duty of care.
He noted that the relationship between educators and students must always remain professional and free from any form of abuse of authority or dependency.
According to the provisions of the bill, anyone convicted of committing offences specified in clauses 4(1), (2), and (3) of the legislation would face a prison sentence of not less than five years and up to 14 years, without the option of a fine. Similarly, offences outlined in clauses 4(4), (5), and (6) would attract imprisonment of between two and five years, also without an option of a fine.
These provisions, lawmakers say, are intended to send a strong signal of zero tolerance for sexual exploitation in Nigeria’s higher institutions.
The bill further provides that a student who alleges sexual harassment has the right to pursue civil action against an offender for breach of fiduciary duty, with the standard of proof following the same principles applicable in civil proceedings.
This inclusion aims to empower victims who may wish to seek redress beyond institutional disciplinary processes, many of which have often been criticised for bias or inefficiency.
The legislation also outlines a broad range of offences to ensure comprehensive coverage. These include demanding or soliciting sexual favours in exchange for grades, making unwelcome sexual advances, inducing others to commit harassment, and engaging in any form of unwanted physical contact or sexually suggestive gestures. It also defines clear boundaries of professional conduct for lecturers and other staff members of educational institutions.
In one of its strongest clauses, the bill stipulates that the only valid defence available to an educator accused of sexual harassment is if a legally recognised marriage exists between the educator and the student.
Furthermore, it clarifies that consent will not be accepted as a defence in cases where an educator-student relationship exists, acknowledging the inherent power imbalance that makes genuine consent difficult to establish in such circumstances.
Under the new framework, sexual harassment complaints can be filed not only by the affected student but also by relatives, guardians, or any concerned individual. Such complaints may be directed to the Police or the Attorney-General, with copies submitted to the institution’s Independent Sexual Harassment Prohibition Committee – a body expected to play a key role in ensuring transparency and accountability within schools.
During the debate preceding the bill’s passage, some senators called for its provisions to be broadened beyond academic settings. Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Delta North, argued that the law should have a wider application to include workplaces and other sectors where power dynamics could lead to sexual exploitation.
“There is no need to restrict sexual harassment issues to students. We should craft this law in a way that gives it universal application,” he said.
However, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, clarified that the bill had already passed through the House of Representatives and was presented before the Senate solely for concurrence.
He added that existing Nigerian laws already address sexual harassment in workplace environments, suggesting that the bill’s current focus on educational institutions was both deliberate and complementary.
After deliberations, the Senate unanimously adopted and passed the bill for a third reading, signifying its formal approval. The passage has been hailed by advocates as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s long fight against institutional sexual misconduct, a problem that has persisted for decades despite periodic media exposures and university-level disciplinary actions.
The legislative action comes amid a string of sexual harassment scandals involving lecturers across universities in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Nsukka, Kano, Benin, and Abuja. Many victims have historically been reluctant to pursue justice due to fear of victimisation, public stigma, or the opaque internal processes of their institutions, which often fail to deliver accountability.
Activists and women’s rights organisations have long campaigned for a strong federal legal framework to curb sexual abuse in tertiary institutions. They argue that the new bill could finally break the culture of silence that has shielded perpetrators and emboldened others to misuse their authority.
With its passage, the Senate has sent a clear message that sexual harassment in Nigeria’s academic system will no longer be tolerated and that those who exploit their positions for personal gratification will face the full weight of the law.