A Nigerian man has criticized Dr. Chukwudi Michael Okoye, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), over his altercation with a female student, Precious Mbakwe, stating that the lecturer was in the wrong.
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The incident, which went viral, began when Okoye attempted to pass through a corridor where Precious was dancing. The lecturer tapped her and said, “Excuse me,” prompting a heated exchange that escalated into a physical confrontation.
Speaking during a radio program, the man argued that the lecturer’s decision to touch Precious while asking her to move was inappropriate and likely triggered her reaction. He emphasized that as a lecturer, Okoye should have maintained a higher level of professionalism and avoided physical contact, especially with a female student.
“He didn’t behave like a lecturer. You could say ‘excuse me’ without touching people, particularly when it’s a female student. As a lecturer, you are supposed to be above such actions. The touch was the beginning of the whole problem,” the man stated.
He further criticized the common Nigerian habit of touching people while saying “excuse me,” questioning the purpose of the phrase if physical contact is still involved. “What then is the meaning of ‘excuse me’ if you still touch people?” he asked.
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Responding to the growing controversy, Dr. Chukwudi Michael Okoye has addressed the altercation, explaining his side of the story.
In a brief interview with reporters on Wednesday, Okoye recounted the events leading to the confrontation. He stated that he had asked the student to delete the video featuring him as he passed by. “I was leaving a classroom for my office when I saw the lady along the corridor. She was making a TikTok video, and I needed to pass. So, I just tapped her and said ‘excuse me’ and walked off. When she made that insulting comment, I had to come back to first ascertain if she was my student in the department,” he said.
Okoye further explained that he requested Mbakwe delete the video in his presence, but when she refused, he attempted to confiscate her phone. “I did that to make her say which department she belonged to. And that was when all hell broke loose, and the rest, as they say, is history,” he added.
He, however, refrained from revealing further details, emphasizing that he would not take the law into his own hands and would allow the university management to handle the matter. “So, that’s all I can say for now. Any other action or whatever, I leave that to the committee to sort out,” Okoye concluded.
Meanwhile, the university management has launched a full-scale investigation into the incident to establish the facts and take appropriate action.
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