Politics
UNIZIK suspends professor for 3 months, refers student to panel
THE management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, has suspended Ifeanyi Sunny Odinye, a professor at the Department of Chinese Studies in the institution for three months on half salary, following preliminary findings from an investigation into a controversial incident involving the lecturer and a female student.
The university in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Information and Public Relations of UNIZIK, Aloysius Attah, said it had also referred the student, Chikamso Favour Okechukwu, to its Students’ Examination Misconduct Committee for further proceedings.
“The Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie has approved the suspension of Prof. Ifeanyi Sunny Odinye, a lecturer in the Department of Chinese Studies for a period of three (3) months with half salary on the first instance, following the recommendations of the six-man Special Investigative Panel who submitted their preliminary report on Friday, 21st August 2026,” Attah said.
The ICIR reported shortly after the incident that the university identified the lecturer as Odinye but not establish the identity of the student involved.
The report followed the circulation of at least two videos with a caption accompanying the footage alleging that the man was a lecturer who had sexually harassed the female student.
In another video, a young woman, later identified as a student of the university, was seen carrying what appeared to be a man’s clothes, while a naked man could be seen behind her attempting to leave the scene and hide himself.
Moments later, several young men rush towards the man and began to beat him as the situation descended into chaos. The university said it had activated an investigative process to establish what transpired.
The latest interim report has identified the student as Chikamso Favour Okechukwu and established that an examination misconduct allegation involving her formed part of the events under investigation.
He said the decisions followed the preliminary report of a six-member Special Investigative Panel constituted after a viral video showed Odinye being assaulted and stripped by a group of people on the university premises on August 15, 2026.
“The Vice Chancellor has also extended the duration of the committee for another two weeks to enable the team complete its assignment and address in full, its five-point terms of reference,” he said.
He explained that the report considered two of the panel’s five terms of reference and found that Odinye breached provisions of the university’s General and Academic Regulations (GAR) in his handling of an alleged examination misconduct case involving Okechukwu.
“The panel, chaired by Prof. Emmanuel Obidimma, Provost, College of Postgraduate Studies, in its preliminary report which dealt on two issues out of the five for determination , indicted Prof Odinye for contravening Section 5.8.3 of the General and Academic Regulations (GAR) of Nnamdi Azikiwe University by failing to not only record and submit the case of examination misconduct against Chikamso Favour Okechukwu on the prescribed Examination Misconduct Report Form but also gave back the offending phone recovered during the examination to the student on the same day in total disregard to section 5.8.1(iv) of the GAR,” he added.
The university said the panel had yet to conclude its investigation into whether Odinye sexually harassed the student, who assaulted the lecturer and whether there was any incident of kidnapping.
The panel has consequently been given an additional two weeks to complete its work.
The ICIR contacted Attah for further clarification on the sexual harassment allegation, which was not addressed in his latest statement. He asked the reporter to call back in 30 minutes. However, when contacted as requested, he declined the call and said in a direct message that he would call back. He had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report about three hours after he was contacted.
Odinye is a professor in UNIZIK’s Department of Chinese Studies and a prominent academic in the development of Chinese-language studies in Nigeria.
UNIZIK’s official profile describes him as the first indigenous professor of Chinese language in Nigeria and Africa. He joined the university in 2005 and later became the pioneer coordinator and head of its Chinese Studies Department.
The university also said that Chinese-language teaching at UNIZIK began in the mid-2000s and that Odinye became the institution’s first Nigerian indigenous Chinese-language lecturer after completing studies in China. He obtained a doctorate in Chinese language from Xiamen University in 2013 and was appointed the pioneer coordinator of the university’s Bachelor of Chinese Studies programme after NUC approval.
His profile lists several publications and academic works in Chinese studies, linguistics and Nigeria-China relations.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.