The lawyer expressed the fear that the law students who protested against their dean may be unduly punished for it.
A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, says the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar has been riddled with scandals over the years.
Mr Effiong stated this in a Twitter post, on Monday, while reacting to the allegation of sexual harassment made by female students against the Dean of the faculty, Cyril Ndifon.
Some female students held a peaceful rally on Monday on campus to protest against Mr Ndifon, a professor.
The professor, in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, on Monday, denied the allegation. He said the protesting students were manipulated against him by some lecturers who were uncomfortable with his leadership style.
'Most oppressed set of undergraduates'
"I didn't attend University of Calabar, but I know that this particular institution and its faculty of law have been riddled with scandals over the years," Mr Effiong said on Twitter.
He expressed the fear that the law students who protested against their dean may be unduly punished for it.
"The truth is that law students in Nigeria are among the most oppressed set of undergraduates.
"Law students are constantly threatened that they will not be cleared to go to law school if they protest or engage in activism or any form of unionism.
"The system in our law faculties is such that protest is seen as treason," he said.
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The lawyer, however, hoped that the scandal at the University of Calabar's Law Faculty would lead to reforms in Nigerian universities.
"Universities are becoming more and more totalitarian in Nigeria and we need to speak up," Mr Effiong added.
"ASUU has failed in this regard. Student associations have been crippled. NUC is not bothered. Nigerians should speak up against the culture of repression that has pervaded our ivory towers."
The dean of the University of Calabar's Law Faculty, Mr Ndifon was previously suspended by the school authority in 2015 after he was accused of raping a 20-year-old law student in his office, an allegation the professor challenged in court.
His suspension was lifted about a year later, under unclear circumstances - our reporters could not find evidence that the court exonerated the professor.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Florence Obi, told PREMIUM TIMES, Monday, that the school would investigate the allegations against the professor but she said those making the allegation would be expected to come forward with evidence.
"When you are talking about sexual harassment, you need more than accusation," she said.
