By our Reporter
The Senate has passed a bill prescribing up to 14 years imprisonment for educators found guilty of sexually harassing students in tertiary institutions.
The legislation, titled sexual harassment of students (prevention and prohibition) bill 2025 (hb.1597), was presented for concurrence by senate leader opeyemi bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central). bamidele said the bill aims to protect students from sexual misconduct and abuse in academic settings while enforcing stricter penalties against offenders.
According to the bill, anyone convicted of offences under clauses 4 (1–3) faces a jail term between five and fourteen years, while those under clauses 4 (4–6) risk two to five years imprisonment—both without the option of a fine.
The bill also empowers students to file civil suits for breach of fiduciary duty, stipulating that marriage between a lecturer and student is the only valid defence consent, it added, cannot be used as a defence where a teacher-student relationship exists. complaints may be lodged by the student, relatives, or concerned parties to the police or attorney-general, with copies sent to the institution’s sexual harassment prohibition committee.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Delta North) urged that the bill be broadened to include workplaces, arguing that harassment is not limited to schools. However, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin clarified that the bill was up for concurrence and that existing laws already address workplace harassment.
The bill was then adopted and passed for third reading.
Its passage follows persistent reports of sexual misconduct by lecturers across universities in Lagos, Portharcourt, Ilorin, Nsukka, Kano, Benin, and Abuja. Activists and women’s rights advocates have welcomed the development, saying it provides a stronger legal framework to combat abuse and end the culture of silence.
