Unilag, Foursquare suspend lecturer following #SexForGrade scandal

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The University of Lagos has suspended  Dr Boniface Igbeneghu, a senior lecturer at the University who was involved in a #SexForGrades scandal.

BrandPower reported that Igbeneghu was exposed after he was filmed sexually harassing a BBC Africa reporter, Kiki Mordi who posed as a 17-year-old admission seeker.

Igbeneghu, who is a former sub-dean of Faculty of Art and head pastor of local Foursquare Gospel Church, invited the reporter to his office for tutorials several times in his office to enable her gain admission.

When she eventually honoured the invitation, he asked her age and she said 17.

The vice-chancellor of the institution, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, confirmed to reporters on Monday afternoon that Igbeneghu has been suspended indefinitely and assures the institution will probe into the issue.

The Foursquare Gospel Church, where Igbeneghu worships and pastors, has also asked him to step down from all ministerial assignments.

In a statement issued on Monday by the National Secretary of the church, Ikechukwu Ugbaja, the church dissociated itself from Igbeneghu, saying appropriate measures would be taken against him.

READ ALSO: #SexForGrades (Video): Unilag lecturer caught sexually harassing admission seeker

The church’s national secretary said action was being taken on the matter.

“The attention of the leadership of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria has been drawn to a video clip trending on social media platforms titled, ‘Sex for grades: Undercover in West Africa Universities – BBC News’ wherein a lecturer at the University of Lagos named Boniface Igbeneghu, also described as a pastor in Foursquare Gospel Church, was allegedly involved in sexual misconduct with some female students of the university.

“The general public is hereby informed that as holiness and Bible-believing church, we do not condone such heinous and unscriptural acts among our ministers. We totally dissociate ourselves from the purported conduct of Dr Igbeneghu and promise to take appropriate measures as soon as the ongoing investigation is concluded.

“Meanwhile, the pastor in question has been asked to step down from all ministerial assignments,” he said.

The video of Igbeneghu had attracted criticisms from Nigerians, who demanded that the lecturer be punished.

 

Yetunde Adegoke