COOU VC Kate Omenugha Breaks Silence on Sacked Lecturers, Rejects Corruption Claims, Vows Zero Tolerance for Sexual Harassment

The Vice-Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Prof. Kate Omenugha, has defended the university’s decision to dismiss five lecturers, insisting that allegations of corruption levelled against her administration are false and designed to distract from the reasons behind their removal.

The university management had announced last month that five senior lecturers from different faculties were dismissed over offences including sexual harassment and dereliction of duty. In response, some of the affected lecturers accused the institution of corruption, declining academic standards and poor administration.

Addressing journalists during a press conference on Thursday, Omenugha dismissed the accusations, describing them as retaliation by the dismissed lecturers. She maintained that the disciplinary actions followed due process and were taken to protect students and uphold the university’s standards.

“I should be commended for doing what I did, and not vilification. Sexual molestation of students by lecturers had been happening under previous administrations and no one could stop them, but when I came in, I said no,” she said.

The vice-chancellor stressed that her administration would continue to take a firm stance against sexual misconduct on campus, warning that no lecturer would be shielded from punishment if found guilty of exploiting students.

“You cannot be instilling fear in the students that are put under your care. If you molest my students sexually, I will rise up and fight you. No one can vilify me for sanctioning erring lecturers in this institution,” she added.

Omenugha further alleged that sexually explicit videos involving some of the dismissed lecturers had circulated online. She also claimed that several female students came forward with allegations of sexual exploitation, adding that the evidence was thoroughly examined despite the lecturers’ insistence that the videos were generated using artificial intelligence.

Before the briefing, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. Harrison Madubueze, led journalists on an inspection of projects executed by the administration, including infrastructure funded through TETFund and contributions from the Friends of the University initiative established under Omenugha’s leadership.

The vice-chancellor said her administration remains committed to the long-term growth of the institution, noting that ongoing projects are designed to benefit future students and university administrations. She also disclosed that an appeal committee has been established to allow the dismissed lecturers challenge the decision and present evidence in their defence.