Kogi Poly Female Students Allege Widespread ‘Sex-for-Marks’, Demand Government Intervention

Some female students of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, have appealed to the Kogi State Government to intervene over what they described as persistent sexual harassment and “sex-for-marks” demands by some male lecturers.

The students, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, alleged that pressure from some lecturers to exchange sex for academic grades has become unbearable.

One of the students, identified simply as Aisha, said she now feels unsafe attending school because of repeated advances from lecturers.

“I’m even scared of going to school. Whenever these lecturers see you, they remind you of the courses you failed and ask you to come and see them if you want to pass and graduate,” she alleged.

A parent, Abdulsalami Jibrin, said his two daughters, who are students of the institution, had also complained of alleged sexual pressure from some lecturers.

“I have two female students in the polytechnic, and both of them are complaining about pressure from male lecturers. I don’t know what the world is turning into. I sent my daughters to school to acquire knowledge, not to be subjected to this kind of harassment,” he said.

Another student, who identified herself as Boluwafe, said some affected students were considering staging a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the state government.

“We are planning to protest on the streets of Lokoja. We will march from the school to the Government House so the governor can hear our frustration. We can’t continue like this anymore,” she said.

Multiple sources within the institution also alleged that discipline had deteriorated in recent months, claiming that some lecturers now openly harass female students and threaten to fail them unless they agree to sexual advances or pay money.

According to the sources, two lecturers from the Public Administration and Graphic Design departments, whose identities were withheld, have been accused of demanding either sexual favours or payments ranging between N70,000 and N80,000 from students before approving their examination results.

One source claimed that a lecturer allegedly instructed a female student to book a hotel room and pay for it before he would meet her.

The source further alleged that although the incident was reported to a member of the institution’s management, the student was allegedly met with intimidation instead of receiving justice.

“The disciplinary structure has collapsed. Some corrupt lecturers are becoming more emboldened, while female students are suffering in silence because many fear they could be expelled if they speak out,” the source alleged.

The source also claimed that the institution’s disciplinary standards had weakened since Professor Salihu Sanusi Avidime assumed office as Rector, alleging that measures previously used to check misconduct among staff and students were no longer being effectively enforced.

However, responding to the allegations, the Polytechnic’s spokesperson, John Amos Onimisi, said the management had already begun taking disciplinary action against erring staff.

According to him, six lecturers were suspended on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, for the unauthorized sale of handouts and textbooks, while another lecturer was suspended over an allegation of sexual harassment.

Onimisi said the institution’s disciplinary committee is currently investigating the allegations and assured that the outcome of the investigation would be made public.