The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday approved the Sexual Harassment of Students (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2025 (HB.1597), prescribing up to 14 years imprisonment for educators convicted of sexually harassing students in tertiary institutions.
The bill, presented for concurrence by Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), aims to protect students from coercion for grades, admission advantages, or other academic favours—a problem widely reported across Nigerian universities.
Under the legislation: Offenders of major clauses face 5 to 14 years imprisonment without the option of a fine. Lesser offences attract 2 to 5 years imprisonment, also without fines.
Consent by the student is not a valid defence, and marriage between student and educator is the only exception.
The law also allows students, relatives, or guardians to report harassment to the police or the institution’s Independent Sexual Harassment Prohibition Committee, with the option to pursue civil action.
During debates, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Delta North) called for the law to cover workplaces beyond educational institutions. However, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin noted that existing laws already address harassment in workplaces, and the bill focuses specifically on student protection.
The legislation comes amid recurring reports of sexual misconduct by lecturers across universities in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Nsukka, Kano, Benin, and Abuja.
