Posted by By AKIN ALOFETEKUN, Minna on
Bida Polytechnic, once a serene citadel of learning in Niger State, is now embroiled in a major scandal, with a lecturer in the Mass Communication department and one of his female students trading words over sex-for-marks allegation.
•Authorities send him on suspension
•I video-taped him fondling me -Student
•Teacher said to keep mattress in office
Bida Polytechnic, once a serene citadel of learning in Niger State, is now embroiled in a major scandal, with a lecturer in the Mass Communication department and one of his female students trading words over sex-for-marks allegation.
As a result, there is palpable tension among the students population, a situation the authorities of the institution, Sunday Sun learnt, want to swiftly handle before things turn awry.
Not prepared to take chances, the authorities of the institution have set up a probe panel, mandated it to get to the root of the matter, and recommend appropriate sanctions, a move described as 'image-laundering".
Already, the don at the center of the scandal, Head, Department of Mass Communication, Mallam Sani Bello, has been sent on indefinite suspension, to pave way for 'a thorough and unbiased inquiry".
The student, identified as Miss Suzan (surname withheld), an N.D 11 'spill over" of the department, had in her petition to the authorities, alleged that the HOD made several attempts to have sex with her as a pre-condition for success in the exams which he supervised.
Suzan further alleged that, exasperated with Bello's ceaseless demand for sex, she confided in some associates who advised her to play along with him, a strategy designed as a bait to let the don lower his guards. According to her, the strategy worked.
The girl claims that on the 'D-day", the duo had entered the 'rendezvous", and the lecturer, believing that it was time to savour what in campus parlance is dubbed 'fringe benefit", yanked off his clothes to his underpants, ready for action.
As the girl further claims, unknown to the don, she had been making a clandestine video recording of their actions with her cell phone camera.
Satisfied that she had had enough evidence to nail her alleged tormentor, Sazun claims that she stormed out of the love nest, dashing the don's hopes.
That video evidence, Sunday Sun learnt, is what she plans to tender against Bello at the panel's sitting.
But when contacted, Bello shrugged off the allegation, saying, initially, that he would not speak on the matter for two reasons:
'In the first place, I am a civil servant that can only be seen and not be heard. And secondly, the matter is currently being investigated by the school management. Whatever I say to you may prejudice the outcome of their investigation. These are the reasons why I don't want to talk to the press over the matter."
Persuaded, Bello, however responded that he could not have been stupid enough to watch his student videotape his nakedness.
'As a married man, a father, a teacher, and somebody who has put in 13 years in the service of the Polytechnic, I don't think anybody in my position will stand up or lie down watching somebody who is his student to use camera phone to record his nakedness. I know I am not that stupid. Or do I look like somebody who can be that stupid?" Bello asked sternly.
He apportions blame thus: 'I know this is the handiwork of my enemies who are bent on tarnishing the good name, the good reputation that has taken me years to build.
'Honestly, I am looking forward to seeing the so-called photos or video, let them produce it. So far, nobody has been able to produce any such evidence."
Yet, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mallam Hussaini Mohammed Enagi, confirmed to Sunday Sun Thursday in Bida that the petitioner provided evidence to support her petition.
According to Enagi, 'Instantly, the management directed the matter to the school's senior staff disciplinary committee, which immediately went into action to investigate the allegation.
'Traditionally, the management of this school does not delay on issues of this nature. I can assure you that, very soon, the disciplinary committee will submit its report to the management, which in turn will forward its own recommendation to the council."
As if to clear any doubts about its handling of the case, Enagi said: 'If nothing has been heard of the matter in the last nine weeks when the matter started, it is because the committee has to be thorough in its investigations. Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to have been done.
'Even though students are always impatient in a case like this, the school cannot allow itself to be rushed into taking hasty but unjust actions.
'One thing I can assure you of, is that, at the end of the day both sides would be convinced that justice has been done, considering the caliber of people in the disciplinary committee".
Chairperson of the committee, Mrs. Funmilayo Ajiboye, popularly called 'Iron Lady" of the Polytechnic, was sought to sound her out on the matter but could not be reached.
However, another member of the committee who craved anonymity corroborated the PRO's position that the petitioner submitted what he described as 'damning evidence ' on the case.
He opened a fresh can of worms: 'It is only in this school that I have seen a lecturer having mattress in his office. For what? Anyway, our report will be ready very soon."
Mr. Ndaliman Mikailu, the new HOD, said he was aware of the case against his predecessor but declined to give details.
'Believe me, I don't know much about the matter. I know there was a case of sexual harassment as alleged by one of the ND II spillover students of this department, Mikailu said."
He, however, denied insinuations that the case was responsible for the student's inability to graduate: 'The results of all the spill over students are not ready, even those who do not have any case against anybody. Until their results are ready, it will be wrong to say who is graduating and who is not. For now, none of her fellow spillovers has graduated."