Professor Richard Akindele, the dismissed lecturer of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife has been sentenced to two year in prison for demanding sex for marks.
The lecturer who was not given option of fine, demanded sex for marks from one Miss Monica Osagie, a student of the university.
Justice Maureen Onyekenu gave the order after Akindele changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.
The trial judge ordered that the lecturer to serve the sentence in Ilesa prison due to the magnitude of the offence he committed.
The judge noted that the offence had become prevalent in the country.
Onyekenu had earlier rejected a suspended sentence and plea bargain which the defendant’s counsel , Mr Francis Omotosho , had pleaded.
The judge noted that suspended sentence and plea bargain should be premised on public interest.
She decried the gravity of the offence which 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.
The Defence Counsel, Mr Francis Omotosho, had earlier pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecturer was first arraigned before Justice Maureen Onyetenu on Nov. 19 by the ICPC on four counts of alteration of age and demanding sex to pass his student .
ICPC said the professor demanded sex from Osagie, in order to upgrade her academic result from fail to pass.
The lecturer in the Department of Management and Accounting committed the offence contravened Sections 8 (1) (a) (ii), and 18 (d) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and are punishable under the same sections.
One of the counts reads: “That you, professor Akindele, on or about the Sept. 16, 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.
“This altered 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.”
The 57-year-old professor had asked for plea-bargain having admitted guilt.
(NAN)
