UNIZIK SUSPENDS PROF. IFEANYI ODINYE, REFERS STUDENT TO MISCONDUCT PANEL OVER ALLEGATIONS IN CHINESE STUDIES DEPARTMENT

AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE — The Management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) has approved the three-month suspension of Prof. Ifeanyi Sunny Odinye, a lecturer in the Department of Chinese Studies, on half salary in the first instance.

​The disciplinary action follows recommendations submitted on Friday, August 21, 2026, by a six-member Special Investigative Panel constituted to probe alleged incidents of kidnapping, assault, and examination misconduct involving departmental staff and students.

​According to an official press release signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, directed that the student named in the investigation, Chikamso Favour Okechukwu, be referred to the student’s examination misconduct committee. Additionally, the Vice Chancellor extended the panel’s mandate by two weeks to resolve all remaining terms of reference.

​In its preliminary report, chaired by Prof. Emmanuel Obidimma, Provost of the College of Postgraduate Studies, the panel indicted Prof. Odinye for violating Section 5.8.3 of the university's General and Academic Regulations (GAR). The findings revealed that Prof. Odinye failed to record and submit the formal Examination Misconduct Report Form against the student and improperly returned the offending mobile phone confiscated during the examination back to the student on the same day, contravening GAR Section 5.8.1(iv).

​The panel has been tasked with concluding investigations into three additional issues within the extended two-week period: establishing whether sexual harassment occurred, identifying individuals involved in the physical assault meted out to Prof. Odinye, and determining whether any incident of kidnapping took place.

​University management reiterated its commitment to student and staff welfare, maintaining a zero-tolerance policy for unethical conduct while assuring all parties of fair hearing, transparency, and potential criminal prosecution upon conclusion of the final report.