Speak Out for Justice Advocacy Ltd./GTE. (SOJA) has condemned the alleged stripping, physical assault and public humiliation of a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a female student, insisting that both the original complaint and the subsequent mob action must be independently investigated.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ELLAN.png")
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-Summer-IDRI-Masterclass.jpg")
In a press statement dated August 16, 2026, the human-rights, anti-corruption and justice advocacy organisation said it had watched with “profound sadness, disappointment and concern” video footage circulating in connection with the incident.
SOJA said it was particularly disturbed by footage which appeared to show a group of young men, reportedly students, physically assaulting the lecturer, forcibly removing his clothes, leaving him exposed and struggling to cover himself while further aggression continued before he was allegedly thrown to the ground.
The organisation stressed that whatever may have occurred before the confrontation, no human being should be stripped naked, beaten, dragged, humiliated or subjected to mob punishment.
“An allegation is not a conviction. A suspicion is not a judgment. A viral video is not a court of law,” SOJA said.
It added that students or members of the public do not acquire judicial, police or prosecutorial powers simply because they believe an offence has been committed.
The organisation questioned what had become of the values of education, humanity, restraint, civility and respect for human dignity if persons within a university environment could gather and subject another human being to degrading treatment.
According to SOJA, a university should remain a citadel of learning, character formation, intellectual discipline and respect for humanity and “must never become a place where mob action substitutes for law.”
SOJA nevertheless made clear that its condemnation of the attack was not a defence of the sexual misconduct allegation against the lecturer.
It said that if the allegation of attempted sexual misconduct is ultimately established through a competent investigation and due process, the lecturer should face the full consequences prescribed by law and applicable university regulations.
“But even in that circumstance, the students or any other persons involved would still have had no lawful authority to strip, assault, humiliate or physically punish him,” the group said.
It argued that the seriousness of the allegation made a proper investigation more, rather than less, important, adding that the gravity of an alleged offence could not justify abandonment of the rule of law.
SOJA anchored its position on Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution, which protects the dignity of the human person and prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
It also cited Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which protects human dignity and prohibits degrading treatment.
According to the organisation, the right to dignity does not depend on whether a person is popular, innocent, a lecturer, a student or otherwise favoured by society.
“Human dignity belongs to the human person. That is precisely why the rule of law is indispensable,” it stated.
SOJA also expressed concern about the alleged participation of students in the attack, saying the matter would be even more troubling if those shown in the footage were indeed students of the university.
It said students were future lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, public servants, judges, policymakers and leaders and should therefore be educated not merely to pass examinations but to understand human life, dignity, restraint, responsibility and justice.
“A student who believes that a perceived wrong can be answered by gathering a group of people to beat, strip and publicly humiliate another person has misunderstood one of the most fundamental principles of civilised society,” it said.
“Education without humanity is incomplete. Knowledge without character can become dangerous. And justice without due process becomes vengeance.”
The organisation consequently called on UNIZIK management to identify every person who participated in the alleged assault and determine, through fair disciplinary procedures and, where appropriate, criminal investigation, whether university regulations or Nigerian law were violated.
It insisted that no student should be shielded merely because the confrontation arose from an allegation against a lecturer.
SOJA repeatedly stressed that it was not defending sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, abuse of academic authority or violence against women and students.
Its position, it said, was that every allegation should be taken seriously, properly investigated and fairly determined.
“If the lecturer committed misconduct, let the evidence establish it. If he committed a criminal offence, let the competent authorities investigate and prosecute him in accordance with law. If the allegations are unfounded, let the evidence establish that too,” the group stated.
It added that if persons assaulted and stripped the lecturer, they should equally be identified and subjected to appropriate legal and disciplinary processes.
SOJA also demanded protection for the female student whose allegation triggered the confrontation.
It said she should not be intimidated, victimised, ridiculed or subjected to public harassment merely because her allegation remains under investigation.
“The fact that an allegation requires investigation does not make the complainant a liar. Equally, the fact that a complaint has been made does not automatically establish the guilt of the person complained against,” it said.
“The complainant deserves protection. The accused deserves due process. The truth deserves an impartial investigation. And society deserves justice.”
Against that background, SOJA called for what it described as a two-track investigation.
The first, it said, should determine precisely what occurred between the female student and the lecturer immediately before the confrontation and whether there is evidence of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, assault or any other unlawful conduct.
The second should identify those who participated in the subsequent physical assault, stripping, humiliation and alleged mob action against the lecturer and determine what offences or disciplinary violations, if any, were committed.
“Neither question should be allowed to swallow the other,” SOJA warned.
It said the investigation into alleged sexual misconduct must not be used to excuse the alleged mob assault, while investigation of the assault must not be used to suppress or trivialise the student’s complaint.
The group further demanded immediate preservation of evidence connected with the incident.
It urged the university and law-enforcement authorities to secure the original videos circulating online, CCTV footage from relevant university locations, mobile-phone recordings, photographs and videos showing injuries, medical records, eyewitness statements, identities of those present, university security records and any digital communications directly connected to the incident.
SOJA said investigators should specifically identify those who physically participated in the alleged assault instead of treating the incident merely as an unfortunate collective disturbance.
The organisation also argued that government and university authorities have positive human-rights obligations that go beyond condemning incidents after they occur.
It cited Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
According to SOJA, the state is required to take reasonable measures to prevent foreseeable violence, investigate violations, hold responsible persons accountable where evidence establishes responsibility and provide appropriate remedies.
It added that educational institutions must maintain systems capable of preventing violence and effectively addressing sexual misconduct allegations.
Addressing Nigerian students directly, SOJA warned against the idea that defending a fellow student means physically attacking an accused person.
It advised that where sexual harassment or assault is alleged, students should raise an alarm, get the complainant to safety, call security, report to the appropriate university authority and police where a criminal offence is alleged, preserve evidence and obtain medical and legal assistance where necessary.
“But do not become a mob. Do not beat the suspect. Do not strip the suspect. Do not humiliate the suspect. Do not torture the suspect. Do not become the very thing you claim to oppose,” it stated.
SOJA also tasked universities with establishing reporting mechanisms students can trust.
The organisation warned that where students believe reports of sexual misconduct will result in victim-blaming, institutional cover-up, intimidation or retaliation, they may resort to informal and dangerous methods of confrontation.
It said the solution was therefore not merely to condemn students after violence occurs but to ensure legitimate complaints are heard promptly, confidentially, independently and fairly.
The organisation also urged the general public not to convert every viral video into a complete factual narrative.
It said people may legitimately condemn violence plainly visible in footage without pretending to know everything that occurred before recording began.
“The underlying sexual-misconduct allegation remains a matter for investigation. The apparent mob assault, however, is sufficiently serious to demand immediate accountability,” SOJA said.
Concluding, the organisation said it was disturbed not only because a lecturer was allegedly assaulted but because the footage appeared to show human beings treating another person as though he had lost every entitlement to dignity.
It said the fact that the incident reportedly occurred in a university raised deeper questions about the values being cultivated in educational institutions and warned that the legitimate struggle against sexual harassment and sexual violence could itself be undermined when allegations are answered with mob violence.
SOJA consequently declared:
“NO ALLEGATION OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT JUSTIFIES MOB VIOLENCE.
“NO LECTURER IS ABOVE THE LAW.
“NO STUDENT IS ABOVE THE LAW.
“NO HUMAN BEING SHOULD BE STRIPPED, BEATEN OR HUMILIATED BY A MOB.
“NO VICTIM SHOULD BE SILENCED.
“NO ACCUSED PERSON SHOULD BE CONVICTED BY THE CROWD.
“NO UNIVERSITY SHOULD PERMIT JUNGLE JUSTICE WITHIN ITS ENVIRONMENT.
“AND NO SOCIETY CAN CLAIM TO UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS WHILE TOLERATING THE DEGRADATION OF HUMAN DIGNITY.”
The organisation called on Nnamdi Azikiwe University, the Anambra State Government, the Nigeria Police Force, National Universities Commission and National Human Rights Commission to ensure the matter is comprehensively, impartially and transparently investigated.
It said anyone found responsible for sexual misconduct must face the consequences prescribed by law, while those found responsible for assaulting, stripping and humiliating the lecturer should equally be held accountable.
“Justice must be for everyone. Human dignity must be for everyone. The law must protect everyone,” SOJA said.
“Justice must never be replaced with jungle justice.”
The statement was electronically signed by Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, Esq., Founder and Executive Director of Speak Out for Justice Advocacy Ltd./GTE.
“Order Justice Omolaye-Ajileye’s Electronic Evidence Books Now” — Essential Guides On Evidence Act, Case Law And Digital Proof
The book also examines Nigeria's legal ecosystem, focusing on the LPELR and NBA AI Guidelines. As a bonus, every purchase comes with a FREE eBook titled: How to Use the AI Features in LegalPedia and LawPavilion.
Ohio Books Ltd praises the publication, stating:
"....this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic."
How to Order:
📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878
📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com
🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
______________________________________________________________________
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
