A 20-year-old student of the University of Lagos on Wednesday told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja that a 53-year-old lecturer, Samuel Obinna Ojogbo, allegedly assaulted her in his office.
The student testified before Justice Oyindamola Ogala as the first prosecution witness in the trial. The Lagos State Government is prosecuting Ojogbo on two counts of rape and sexual assault.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel A.O. Azeez, the witness said the incident occurred on Aug. 22, 2025, around noon at the university’s Akoka campus.
The witness said the defendant approached her a day earlier while she was writing an exam and asked about her performance. She said he told her not to worry and asked her to see him in his office after the exam.
She testified that she attempted to meet him twice but did not find him. On Aug. 22, after completing another exam, she said she saw him near her faculty, where he signaled for her to wait before they went to his office together.
Describing the office, she said it was underground, with no windows or secretary.
She told the court that two female students briefly entered the office but were asked to leave by the defendant.
The witness said the incident occurred shortly after they left.
She alleged that the lecturer asked her to close the door and then pushed her onto a couch, where he began to touch her and forced himself on her.
“He started caressing me, touched my breasts, and then forced himself on me. He raped me,” she said in court.
The witness said the defendant later made promises regarding her academic progress, including offering to supervise her project in her fourth year. She said he collected her exam docket, made a copy, and obtained her phone number.
She testified that she left the office in tears and immediately reported the incident to a friend.
The witness said she first reported the matter to a lecturer, who contacted her uncle, also a lecturer, before they approached the head of department.
She said the head of department questioned her claims and asked for evidence, then invited the defendant, who denied the allegation. According to her, the department advised them to let the matter go.
The witness said her uncle insisted on pursuing the case, after which they reported to Servicom and later to the school’s medical center for examination and treatment.
She said she also reported the case to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and was referred to the police.
According to her, the case was first reported at Bariga Police Station and later transferred to the Gender Unit for investigation.
She added that the defendant’s family and friends later attempted to initiate a settlement.
Justice Ogala adjourned the case until April 27, 2026, for cross-examination.
