A Federal High Court in Oshogbo, Osun State, has sentenced the dismissed sex-for-marks lecturer of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Prof. Richard Akindele to six years imprisonment.
In an audio which went viral online in April, Akindele was heard demanding five sessions of sex to award his student, Ms. Monica Osagie a pass mark in a course she failed.
The trial judge, Justice Maureen Onyetenu handed down the sentence when Akindele changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on Monday.
Akindele was arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission (ICPC) for demanding sex from Osagie in exchange for marks.
Onyetenu held that it was necessary to punish the professor to serve as a deterrent to other lecturers.
She sentenced him to 24 months for asking for sexual benefits from his student, Monica; 24 months for soliciting from Monica sexual benefit in order to pass her; 12 months for deleting parts of the WhatsApp conversations between them to conceal evidence and 12 months for falsification of age. The six years will run concurrently.
The judge ordered that the lecturer serve his sentence in Ilesa Prison due to the magnitude of the offence he committed “which is prevalent in the country”.
Onyetenu had earlier rejected the plea bargain option canvassed by counsel to the accused, Mr. Francis Omotosho.
“The plea bargain is not absolute. The court still has discretion. This kind of issue is too rampant in our tertiary institutions. We send children to school; they come home telling us that lecturers want to sleep with them.
“We cannot continue like this. Somebody has to be used as example. Even primary schools pupils are complaining. Telling me to suspend sentence does not arise. Plea bargain does not arise. May be the case continue to occur and reoccur because someone has not been used as example.
“It is time for the court to start upholding the right of the children, especially female students. The case is endemic,” said the judge.
She decried the gravity of the offence the convict committed, adding that someone must be used “as a scapegoat without letting the issue of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions continue like that.”
It would be recalled that Akindele was dismissed by OAU in June in after a panel set up to probe the allegation indicted him and was first arraigned before Onyetenu on November 19.
