RICHARD Akindele, a Professor at the Accounting Department of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, who was accused of demanding sex from one of his students, Monica Osagie, in order to give her a pass mark, has agreed to a plea bargain with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

According to ICPC’s spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa, Akindele will be arraigned at the Federal High Court, Osogbo, on Monday 19th November, 2018, on a 3-count charge bordering on abuse of office and conferring an undue advantage on himself.

“The 57-year-old professor has asked for plea-bargain having admitted guilt. He also cited ill-health as a factor that may make him unable to stand the rigours of prison life, notifying the Commission through his lawyer, Omotayo Alade-Fawole,” Okoduwa stated on Wednesday.

Akindele pleaded that his plea-bargain be considered, especially as he was already serving a punishment for his offence having been sacked by the OAU.

The ICPC had accused Akindele of using his position as a lecturer to demand for sexual benefit from Osagie in order to fraudulently upgrade her result in a course which she supposedly failed in 2017; a crime which is contrary to Sections 8 (1) (a) (ii), and 18 (d) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same sections.

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.”

In her statement on Wednesday, the ICPC spokesperson recalled how Akindele’s victim, Osagie had granted an interview in September, saying that she had no confidence in the capacity of ICPC to give her a fair hearing, but the commission promised that it would get to the root of the matter and also publish same in national dailies.