NEW: Unilag rape case - 'Our inability to punish Dr Afeez Baruwa' - UNILAG Vice Chancellor

In an attempt to reiterate its previous stance, the  Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Rahamon Bello, has insisted that the lecturer standing trial for rape, Dr. Afeez Baruwa, is not an employee of the institution.

Professor Bello stated this as a contributory factor responsible for the inability of the university authorities to punish the lecturer for allegedly raping an admission seeker in the school.


But at a briefing on Monday, Bello said the university had no relationship with Baruwa, hence it could not directly punish him as it did when its personnel were involved in sexual harassment in the past. He also noted that the institution had no relationship with the alleged victim.

The VC said the only formal relationship the university had with Baruwa was when he undertook his undergraduate and MSc programmes in Marketing at the institution’s Distance Learning Institute. Bello, who however, admitted that Baruwa was engaged by the DLI, noted that the term of his contract did not include providing him an office facility.

“He was engaged for project supervising. He was supposed to come to the institute to collect documents to work with and leave. Even if he had to interact with students, such was supposed to be limited to the Institute premises,” he added.

He said that the accused had never taught in the DLI where the alleged rape took place or any other department of the institution. Bello, who disclosed the findings of a panel established to investigate the issue to journalists, argued that the university was unfortunately linked to the saga.

According to Professor Bello, the accused could have carried out the act in any other place.
Bello explained that the accused had driven the victim from Ipaja, where her parents handed her over to him for assistance, to UNILAG on the fateful day.

To avoid unnecessary litigation, he also noted, the authorities were not in an hurry to punish Baruwa’s friend, Dr. Oluwatunji Dakare, whose office was allegedly used to commit the act.

source: Punch