Following the news of student harassment by a Uniabuja lecturer that broke out yesterday, TheNews.NG decided to reach out to parties involved and we were able to speak on phone with both Mr Samuel Olorunfemi Adam and Miss Kemi Obaditan.
Mr Samuel Olorunfemi Adams side of the story:
We got a phone call phone Mr Samuel Olorunfemi Adams asking us to take the story down as it was affecting his image, He also stated that many of his colleagues have been trying to reach him on the issue which is very embarrassing.
Here's an excerpt of the conversation between Mr Adams and TheNews.NG's correspondent Olawale Adeniyi
Mr Adams: Hello, good afternoon my name is Mr Samuel Olorunfemi Adams there's a story on your news platform stating that I harrased a student of Uniabuja. The story is all lie, please i need you to take it down. I am innocent.
TheNews.NG: Sir, we can't take the story down just like that, its against the ethics of balanced reporting, we need to speak to the two parties involved to ascertain that you are truly innocent. Would you be willing to tell us your side of the story?
Mr Adams: Yes
TheNews.NG: please tell us exactly what happened?
Mr Adams: On the day the incident happened, I instructed students to move the next hall to write their exam every other student moved but she refused. she stated that i was a wicked lecturer and that she's heard a lot about me and that she was not going to move in the course of that her phone fell and broke.
TheNews.NG: She said you broke the phone?
Mr Adams: Here's what happened, she asked me t give her the phone and i insisted that she fill the exam malpracices booklet, she refused, she insulted my family, she said my family couldn't afford a Blackberry phone this got me angry, so I smashed it on the ground.
TheNews.NG: Did you flog her with your belt?
Mr Adams: No I did not, I only tried to scare her with the belt and the belt mistakenly touch her. Then she jacked my collar.
TheNews.NG: Why did you insist that she fill an examination malpractices form since the offence she commited was not related to exam malpractice?
Mr Adams: You see in exam there are rules and regulations, she was given the form because she disobeyed a lecturer and it is against the school rule. I instructed her to leave the hall and go to the next hall but she refused, secondly she held my collar and it was her fellow students who rescued me from her.
TheNews.NG: But that is still not exam malpractice, why insist on an exam malpractice form?
Mr Adams: keeps mute
TheNews.NG: Peradventure you both meet in the court of law over this matter do you have any witness in your favour?
Mr Adams: I don't have witnesses i don't know any of the students, please I just visited your website the story is still there, when are you going to take it down?
TheNews.NG: We wont take it down until investigations into the case are concluded.
Here's an excerpt of the conversation between Kemi Obaditan and TheNews.NG's correspondent
TheNews.NG: Can you tell us exactly what happened?
Kemi: On the 11th of December 2011 U came into school that morning to write a Chemistry examination scheduled to hold that day at 9am. The exam started at the time stated and while I sat in the hall assigned by my department for her students, Mr. Samuel Olorunfemi Adams came in to speak with the invigilator on duty while the answer booklet was being shared. He requested that half of the students should follow him upstairs to the main library where his own students who, at that time, were going to write a statistics course so he can shuffle us between them. Unfortunately, I was among those who had to move up with them. When I got upstairs I had a chair and did not have a table in the exam hall, hence I decided to go get a table. By the time I returned with the table, Mr. Samuel Olorunfemi Adams refused my entry into the exam hall.
I told him I was among the students he took from the hall downstairs to join his students.
My pleas fell on deaf ears until one of my colleague was able to help me pass my exam booklet and exam card to me.
TheNews.NG: Mr Samuel claims that he did not flog you that he only scared you with his belt that you were the one who locked him by the collar?
Kemi: That's a lie, while I was begging him he lost his cool and pulled out his belt from his pants and began to flog me mercilessly. how could I have fought a man bigger than me?
TheNews.NG: He claim he broke your phone because you insulted him?
Kemi: Thats not true, because I refused to fill the exam malpractices booklet Mr. Adams told me to take a last look at my phone and he smashed it on the ground to pieces. My colleagues who witnessed the incident gasped and he made sure he gave all of them -10 marks on their script. I have witnesses.
TheNews.NG: Did you reach out to the school authority on the matter?
Kemi: Yes, after the incident my father wrote the school up copying the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor and the Dean of Student Affairs that he would like them to look into my matter. I came into school on a Monday morning and I was told to report to the Deans office for an emergency meeting. In the meeting, there was the Dean, Head of department, Head of examinations and a few other lecturers. I was still not granted a fair hearing. Instead, I was told and I quote “We know you know people, and your Dad is well connected, but if you want to graduate in this school you cannot fight your lecturer and win. You have to drop this case. I walked out with tears in my eyes and my heart was heavy with much pain. I felt the school failed me, the women in the meeting failed me even with the obvious bruises I had on my body. Afterwards, I did agree to drop the case because I wanted to graduate. I was frustrated throughout my four years in the university.
TheNews.NG: What do you want now?
Kemi: I want justice to prevail for the sake of innocent students like myself who are constant victim of abuse by wicked lecturers.
After speaking to both parties involved, there are so many questions begging for answers.
1) Mr Adam claim that he broke her phone because she insulted him, a claim she denied. Even if she did, was he supposed to smash her phone?
2) Mr Adam denied flogging her. In his word "I only tried to scare her away with my belt then it touched her" How true is this statement?
3) Why did Mr Adams and the authority insist that she fill an exam malpractice booklet when the alleged offence had nothing to do with exam malpractice?
These and more questions are begging for answers. The world is watching, justice must prevail!
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