‘Do not shake hands…,’ UNILAG warns female students in anti-rape advisories

The University of Lagos on Monday issued a set of counselling tips for female students aimed at preventing sexual harassment and rape on campus.

The advisory, through its Student Affairs Division, displayed on a roll-up banner within the university, comes against the backdrop of reported cases of assault and rape in the institution.

The banner urges female students to adopt precautionary measures, with one of its most prominent messages reading: “Do not shake hands anyhow with any man.”

Other safety tips on the banner state, “Do not dress to kill. Do not shake hands anyhow with any man. Do not mingle carelessly with men. Do not stay alone with a man in a hidden place. Do not seek unnecessary favour from men. Do not join to watch pornographic film/pictures. Do not accept intoxicants and be vigilant when you are served with drinks. Do not give in to pressure – be assertive.

“Learn to say no. One-time sex can cause you pregnancy; if you don’t want it, don’t try it.”

According to the Student Affairs Division, the guidance forms part of its counselling efforts to educate female students on personal safety and ways to reduce the risk of sexual harassment and rape while on campus.

The University of Lagos has, in recent years, recorded incidents of sexual assault and rape within its community, prompting various awareness and counselling initiatives targeted at promoting students’ safety.

In April, PidomNigeria Healthwise reports that a 20-year-old undergraduate of the university told an Ikeja High Court that she was allegedly raped by her lecturer, Dr Samuel Ojogbo.

The student, who testified during proceedings, made the allegation while being led in evidence by State Counsel, Mr Owolabi Azeez.

She told the court that the incident allegedly occurred on August 22, 2025, in the lecturer’s underground office within the university premises.

According to her, the defendant had engaged her during an examination on August 21 and later asked her to see him after the paper.

“I said yes, I knew a section better. He told me not to worry and to see him after the exam,” she said.

The student added that she visited his office twice but did not meet him until the following day during another examination he supervised.

“After the exam, I saw him, and he asked me to wait,” she said.

In 2019, the Lagos State government arraigned five students of the institution for gangraping a 17-year-old student (name withheld).