A third-year student from the Department of History and International Studies, Goddy-Mbakwe Chimamaka Precious, has been expelled from Nnamdi Azikiwe University following an incident involving the assault of a lecturer.
The university’s acting registrar, Mr. Victor Modebelu, issued a statement confirming the expulsion. He mentioned that the Student Disciplinary Committee had reported the incident, which involved a lecturer from the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, to the Acting Vice-Chancellor.
The statement revealed that Chimamaka was found guilty of severe misconduct, violating the university’s Students Disciplinary Regulations, specifically Regulation 4. The Acting Vice-Chancellor, on behalf of the University Senate, approved the Committee’s recommendation for her expulsion, effective immediately. She has been instructed to vacate the university premises and return any university property in her possession.
The incident, which went viral, was captured in a video posted on social media. Chimamaka, seen dancing for a TikTok video, was interrupted by Dr. Chukwudi Michael Okoye, the lecturer. He gently tapped her on the shoulder to ask her to move, but Chimamaka was reportedly offended by the interruption. After hearing the student mock him, Dr. Okoye confronted her, leading to a physical altercation.
The lecturer tried to delete the video but was met with resistance. During the struggle, Chimamaka allegedly bit him, tore his clothes, slapped him, and scratched his face.
Dr. Okoye shared his account of the incident, stating that he had passed Chimamaka while she was recording her video. After hearing her insult him, he returned to confirm whether she was his student and to ask her to remove the video. According to his version, when he approached her, she continued to mock him, prompting him to try to retrieve her phone to delete the video.
In contrast, Chimamaka described feeling pushed and hearing “excuse me” from behind her, only to realize it was a lecturer. She claimed that when she tried to hold on to her phone, the lecturer grabbed her and caused her phone to fall and break. She further alleged that the lecturer behaved inappropriately, making disturbing comments and physically assaulting her.
As the altercation escalated, other students intervened, and soon after, a group of theatre arts students appeared with weapons. Security personnel arrived at the scene, escorting Chimamaka away in their van.
The university has taken swift action to address the incident, expelling Chimamaka in response to the serious violation of conduct.
