The Nigerian Senate has approved a new law imposing prison terms of between five and fourteen years for anyone found guilty of s3xually harassing students in tertiary institutions, with no option of fine.
The legislation, titled the S3xual Harassment of Students (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2025 (HB.1597), was passed after its third reading on Tuesday. It aims to curb s3xual misconduct in educational environments and establish a clear legal framework for prosecuting offenders.
Presenting the bill for concurrence, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) said it seeks to uphold ethical standards and protect the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship built on trust, authority, and respect.
“The Bill is enacted to promote and protect ethical standards in tertiary education, the sanctity of the student-educator relationship of authority, dependency, and trust, and respect for human dignity in educational institutions,” Bamidele stated.
Under the new law, offenders face a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of fourteen years without the option of a fine. Lesser offences attract two to five years imprisonment, also without fines.
The bill further empowers students—or their representatives—to initiate civil action against educators found guilty of breaching fiduciary duty through s3xual harassment. While institutions may carry out internal disciplinary procedures, such proceedings must stop if a criminal trial on the same issue is ongoing.
S3xual harassment, as defined in the bill, includes “grabbing, hugging, kissing, rubbing, or touching the breasts, hair, lips, hips, or other sensual parts of the body; displaying, giving, or sending s3xually explicit materials; whistling, winking, or making s3xual remarks or advances toward a student.”
The legislation also stipulates that a student’s consent cannot be used as a defence, except where the student and educator are legally married.
Complaints may be filed in writing by the student, a guardian, relative, or lawyer to the Nigeria Police Force or the Attorney-General, with copies forwarded to the institution’s Independent S3xual Harassment Committee.
During deliberations, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) proposed broadening the bill’s scope beyond educational institutions, arguing that s3xual harassment should be addressed universally. However, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who presided over the session, explained that the bill was a concurrence from the House of Representatives and could not be significantly altered.
The Senate later unanimously passed the bill, describing it as a crucial step toward ending s3xual abuse and safeguarding students’ rights across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.