Sex for Grades: Ghanaian graduates recount being sexually abused by same lecturer

A year after an explosive expose? by BBC Africa Eye detailing how lecturers in some universities in West Africa sexually harassed their students, two more victims have come out to share stories of how they got trapped in the cycle.

In Nigeria, the senate has passed tough new legislation to crack down on the abusers who were found guilty. The BBC reports that the investigation was only possible thanks to the testimonies of those who survived sexual harassment.

In an attempt to get more victims to come out, Kiki Mordi, the investigative journalist who exposed some lecturers while undercover at some universities in Ghana and Nigeria, initiated a beading session with two former students who have been victimised.

The victims, Tiffany and Superwoman (not their real names) who wore a face mask each while their voices were doctored to protect their identity, disclosed that they had been abused by the same lecturer.

Narrating how abusive lecturers operate, they noted that in their case, the lecturer came across as someone who was caring like a father but later capitalized on the vulnerability to sexually abuse them.

To keep them in a closed loop, the lecturer appointed them as representatives of his course making it impossible for them to evade him.

“I was also made course rep actually, he can call you and say I need you in my office to pick up this assignment and send to your mates and I genuinely ask, is there anybody else in the office and then he says yes my assistant is here or some of your colleagues are here only for you to get there and there is no one there,” one of the ladies narrated.

They narrated that the lecturer passed them on to other lecturers after having his way. According to them they couldn’t resist the others because they were “emotionally blackmailed.”

Responding to why they did not report their ordeal to school authorities, Tiffany and Superwoman intimated that whenever they did, they were told to provide solid and substantive proof since the reputations of their predators were at stake.

The ladies revealed that all efforts to get evidence of their encounters proved futile since the lecturer disarms them of their phones and digital gadgets before having his way.

“This is someone that when you go to his office, you can’t even touch your phone. If you touch your phone is an issue so you can never at any point have physical evidence that he said this to me…” Tiffany told Kiki.

At a point the victims had to miss class or drop the courses because of the sexual advances which later had effects on their academics and general wellbeing.

According to them, the university’s system crippled their efforts to get their concerns heard as the disciplinary committees rather blamed them for their choice of fashion. They were worried that the lecturer did not face any sanctions after several reports.

It is, however, unclear if the lecturer talked about in the video was among any of the lecturers who was implicated in the sex for grades documentary.