Ime Akpan
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has said that the dismissed sex-for-marks lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Prof. Richard Akindele, will be arraigned at the Federal High Court, Osogbo.
ICPC said in a statement that the professor would be arraigned on Monday, November 19 for allegedly demanding sex from one of his students, Ms. Monica Osagie, in order to upgrade her academic result from fail to pass.
It said Akindele will face a three-count charge including alleged use of his position as a lecturer in the Department of Management and Accounting to demand sexual benefit from a student and fraudulently upgrading her result in Research Method course which she supposedly failed in 2017.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Professor Akindele, on or about the 16th day of September, 2017 at Ile-Ife did corruptly ask for sexual benefits for yourself from Ms. Monica Osagie on account of favour to be afterwards shown to her by you in the discharge of your official duties as a lecturer in the Department of Management and Accounting, Obafemi Awolowo University, to wit; altering her academic grades in the course with code MBA 632- Research Method from fail to pass; and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 8(1)(a)(ii) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”
The commission said the offences contravene Sections 8 (1) (a) (ii), and 18 (d) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and are punishable under the same sections.
This public announcement of Prof Akindele’s impending arraignment is in fulfillment of the commission’s promise to the public in a rejoinder in the same newspaper dated September 7, 2018, to avail them of the outcome of the investigation in due time,” said ICPC.
As earlier reported by NewsGazette in June, the governing council of OAU had announced Akindele’s sack for alleged involvement in sex-for-marks scandal, with one of his students Osagie.
The vice chancellor of the university, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede said the council, after its findings, concluded that Akindele had an inappropriate relationship with one of his students, Osagie, a claim to which he admitted.
He said council had also discovered that the don had offered to change Osagie’s 33 per cent result to a pass mark, in consideration for sexual favours.
According to the vice chancellor, this was established in an audio recording (that went viral in April) which the accused also admitted to.
He said from evidence, Osagie had no idea that she scored 45 per cent pass mark as claimed by the erring professor, although the student later found out she did not fail the course.
