A Professor has fallen from the highest rungs of academia all the way down to a jail cell, thanks to an audio recording of him demanding s.e.x in exchange for marks from a student.
According to Punch, Professor Richard Akindele on Tuesday appeared in the Federal High Court in Osogbo, southwestern Nigeria on a bail application.
He is facing charges related to an incident in April where he demanded s.e.x five times from student Monica Osagie in exchange for marks. The conversation was recorded and went viral on social media.
Just before she ended the call, Monica said: “Prof, you know what? Let me fail it. I can’t do it five times. For what nah? No worry. Thank you, sir.”
Akindele was hauled before an enquiry at his former university, Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife in June. He had been a professor in the Accounting and Management department.
He denied the charges, but the university committee was damning in its findings.
“Professor Akindele’s actions in requesting se-xual favours from Miss Osagie to change her examination scores was scandalous behaviour that has brought ridicule to the name of the University and has tarnished the reputation of the University, as it portrays the University as an institution where its teachers and examiners trade marks for se-xual favours.”
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife is one of three universities established in Nigeria just after winning independence from Britain in 1960. It currently has about 30 000 students.
Akindele was dismissed from the university and now faces corruption charges. The court on Tuesday rejected his bail application because he was thought to be a flight risk.
Prosecutors also alleged that the embattled professor was caught on tape chanting the words of a magic spell, meant to derail the case against him.
It was also alleged that Akindele is involved with child P0rnography. Akindele will remain in prison until his next hearing on 17 December.
