Anchor University is accused of mishandling a student's sexual harassment claim

Anchor University Lagos, a private institution owned by Deeper Christian Life Ministry, is under surveillance over allegations of negligence and mishandling of an incident involving the harassment of a female student by an unskilled worker.

Student Evangel Ganiyu shared her experiences on Saturday via X under the account Dragana (#draganaismother), sparking widespread outrage.

Ganiyu said major renovations are underway at the university to accommodate new students, with unskilled labor being hired to support the effort.

On the day of the incident, Ganiyu woke up to find a male worker (name withheld) lying almost naked in bed next to her.

“I thought it was my friend staying over. “That was not the case,” she wrote in a series of tweets on Saturday detailing the incident.

Shocked and frightened, Ganiyu shouted at the man to leave and immediately reported the situation to the hostel doorman, who escalated the matter to the supervisor.

The supervisor asked Ganiyu to identify the worker from a roster, which she did, although the suspect denied the allegations. It was only when another student reported that the same man had looked at her in the bathroom that Okoro began to ask for forgiveness.

“The people around him beat him lightly,” Ganiyu said, adding that the porters along with the workers’ boss urged them to forgive him, suggesting he was “probably under the influence” and “just a little boy.”

Despite the pressure, Ganiyu contacted her father and then took the matter to the university's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samuel Oye Bandele. However, the response she received made her even more desperate.

According to Ganiyu, the vice-chancellor questioned her integrity and asked if her clothes and underwear were still worn during the incident. When she confirmed this, Bandele reportedly accused her of being “sparing with the truth” and suggested she was a “bad girl.”

She said: “My manager then took me to the vice-chancellor’s office to explain the situation. I told him what had happened. He then asked me the following questions: “Were you dressed?” “Were your underwear on?” to which I answered yes and yes.

“Then he asked me how old I was. I told him. Then he said that I wasn't a two year old girl and asked how I wouldn't know if a man had penetrated me.

“Then he said that I was a bad girl, that I was being economical with the truth, and that I should get tested (by a male doctor, by the way) because I was shady.”

Ganiyu described the reaction as an attempt to shame and dismiss her report.

“This is not the first time something like this has happened in this school, where a student is being mistreated and the school is trying to cover it up by shaming her or telling her to forgive and forget,” she said, demanding Accountability.

Ganiyu's tweets have since garnered attention, with many calling on Anchor University to address the apparent pattern of discrimination and mistreatment of female students.

“I have had several bad experiences at this school and have never received justice. Please don't let it happen again. Please hold Anchor University accountable for the multiple forms of discrimination it faces against its female students,” she said.

Meanwhile, university management responded to the allegations on Instagram on Sunday, claiming the truth had not been accurately reported.

The statement said: “The university has been made aware of a post by @draganaismother (Evangel Ganiyu) on X (formerly Twitter) regarding sexual assault.

“This is not presented as the whole truth. The incident occurred on Saturday, September 28, 2024. An unskilled worker hired by a contractor to renovate and restructure a women's hostel was caught half-naked in the room of the said student.

“AUL is not happening but we have just completed a number of holiday programs including ATS, ICAN trainees and summer school programs.

“According to the lady, she screamed when she woke up and found this worker standing next to her. After interrogation by the porters, hostel manager and security personnel, the hostel manager, Mrs. Grace Abodunde, accompanied by the student, presented the case to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samuel Oye Bandele.

“The student was asked to explain what happened to the VC and further interrogation was carried out.”

However, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency responded to the post on Alternatively, send us a number where you can be reached via DM.”