By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde.
Anchor University Lagos, owned by the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, faces scrutiny over allegations of negligence and mishandling of an harassment incident involving a female student, Evangel Ganiyu, and an unskilled laborer.
Ganiyu shared her experience on X (formerly Twitter) under the handle Dragana (#draganaismother), sparking widespread outrage. According to her, the university’s renovations led to the hiring of unskilled workers. On September 28, 2024, Ganiyu woke up to find a male worker lying beside her in bed, nearly naked. “I thought it was my friend who had slept over. It wasn’t,” she tweeted. Ganiyu reported the incident to the hostel porter, who escalated the matter to the supervisor. The supervisor asked Ganiyu to identify the worker from a lineup, which she did and the suspect denied the allegations. Another female student reported that he was the one, making the worker to plead for forgiveness.
Ganiyu contacted her father and took the matter to Vice-Chancellor Professor Samuel Oye Bandele. However, Bandele’s response left Ganiyu further distressed. He questioned her integrity, asking if her clothes and underwear were still on during the incident. When she affirmed, Bandele allegedly accused her of being “economical with the truth” and implied she was a “bad girl.”
Ganiyu described the response as an attempt to shame and dismiss her account. “This is not the first time something like this has happened in this school, where a female student is abused, and the school tries to cover it up by shaming her or telling her to forgive and forget.”
The university management responded via Instagram, claiming the truth wasn’t accurately represented. The statement read, “the attention of the University has been drawn to a post made by @draganaismother (Evangel Ganiyu) on X (formerly Twitter) regarding sexual assault. This is not being presented as the whole truth. The incident occurred on Saturday, 28th September 2024. An unskilled worker hired by a contractor handling the renovation and restructuring of one of the female halls of residence was caught in the room of the said student half-naked. AUL is not in session, but we have just concluded a series of holiday programmes, among which are ATS, trainee ICAN students, and summer school programmes. According to the lady, she screamed when she woke up to find this worker beside her. After interrogations from the porters, the hostel supervisor, and the security staff, the hostel supervisor, Mrs Grace Abodunde, brought the case to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samuel Oye Bandele, in the company of the student. The student was asked to explain what had happened to the VC, and further interrogations were carried out.”
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency responded to Ganiyu’s post, urging her to call their toll-free line (08000 333 333) or send a contact number via DM.
Ganiyu’s tweets have attracted attention, with many calling for Anchor University to address the alleged pattern of discrimination and mistreatment of female students. “I have had multiple bad experiences in this school, and I have never received justice. Please don’t let it happen again. Please hold Anchor University accountable.”
The university’s response has been criticized, with many demanding accountability and a thorough investigation.
The incident has sparked outrage, highlighting concerns about safety and accountability within the university.
