By Daniel Edu
A security personnel at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) in Edo State, Nigeria, reportedly slapped a female student for allegedly wearing a short dress on campus. The incident occurred at the Ekosodin back gate security post, which leads to an off-campus students’ community. The incident was captured in a video that circulated on social media, sparking outrage and condemnation of the security officer’s behavior.
In the video, the female student can be seen confronting the male security officer and asking him why he slapped her. Colleagues of the security personnel tried to intervene and urged the student to release him. Social media users expressed their outrage over the incident and criticized the security officer’s actions. Many argued that even if the dress was inappropriate, it was not the security officer’s place to physically assault the student.
Some comments from social media users included:
– Chuka Elvis: “He has no right whatsoever to slap her. The school management did not put him in any capacity to handle such matters, even the VC can’t slap her.”
– MaryJane: “The audacity of non-academic staff is appalling… We all have a share of this kind of disrespect. That man should be fired to lead by example that UNIBEN doesn’t support nonsense.”
– Ese: “Even if the dress is short, is it in the place of the security man to slap her?”
– Ihemeje Omobhude: “That dress is not short at all but even if it is against the dress code, what is his reason for slapping her? That’s just transfer of aggression.”
– Obianuju: “Even if she wasn’t dressed appropriately, he has no right whatsoever to slap her. What happened to sending her out of the school premises?”
A legal practitioner and former Attorney-General of the UNIBEN Students’ Union, Barr. Osayuki King, stated that the security officer had no right to assault the student. He highlighted that hitting a person without their permission is an offense, regardless of the circumstances, and the offender could be legally liable.
As of the time of reporting, the University Management had not issued a formal reaction to the incident. However, the university has a dress code handbook for students, and the incident has raised discussions about the boundaries of security personnel on campus and the consequences of such actions under Nigerian law.
