MANAGEMENT of the University of Lagos has suspended Boniface Igbegeghu, the accused senior lecturer and pastor of Foursquare Gospel Church exposed in the BBC sex-for-grade video.
Boniface in the video that has gone viral made sexual advances to Kiki Mordi, an investigative reporter who disguised as a 17-year-old student seeking admission.
The Principal Assistant Registrar (Communication Unit), Taiwo Oloyede confirmed to The ICIR that the former Sub dean of the faculty of art, University of Lagos has been suspended whilst investigation continues.
Oloyede also confirmed that the ‘Cold Room’ where lecturers get intimate with students of the school has also been shut down.
The suspension comes after the Foursquare Gospel Church sacked the pastor of his ministerial appointment and labelled his act ‘heinous’.
The sex-for-grades scandal has attracted the attention of many Nigerians on social media who applaud the reports, confirming that the act is popular in almost all of the Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The immediate past senate president of Nigeria, Bukola Saraki also commented on the incident saying that he was appalled to find the documentary.
He urged the 9th Assembly to revisit a bill passed in the last Assembly titled “Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Education Institution Prohibition Bill”. The bill prescribes a 5-year jail term for any lecturer, educationist or person in a position of authority in any tertiary institution in Nigeria found guilty of such conduct.
He said the university should conduct a robust investigation into the case and other similar reports, noting that the implementation of the bill is needed to reform the tertiary institutions of education in the country.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94