A final-year student of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti had accused her lecturer, Anthony Agbegbedia, of failing her because she refused to submit to his sexual advances.
Anthony Agbegbedia, a lecturer at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, in Ekiti State accused of failing a final-year student because she refused to submit to his sexual advances has denied all the allegation levelled against him.
A final-year student of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti had accused her lecturer, Anthony Agbegbedia, of failing her because she refused to submit to his sexual advances.
The student alleges that Agbegbedia failed her after she declined his advances.
She claims that he repeatedly asked her out, and she did not accept.
According to her, during their interactions, Agbegbedia asked her to meet him in Ado-Ekiti. She says she regularly made excuses to avoid these meetings throughout her first and second semesters of 400-Level (PCs 411 and PCs 414).
She also mentions that Agbegbedia began bothering her from the first semester of her 300-Level until she stopped responding to his messages.
She and her father eventually reported the issue to the university by submitting a letter to the Dean of the Faculty of Science and another letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Federal University Oye-Ekiti.
In a letter dated August 20, 2024, obtained by SaharaReporters, the father of a student accused Dr Anthony Agbegbedia of sexually harassing his daughter.
However, Anthony Agbegbedia in a letter addressed to the student's father and signed by Peter Ekavwo Esq. said his client did not fail the student due to her refusal of advances allegedly made to her.
He affirmed that the student earned a failing grade, in line with the marking scheme approved by the University.
The lecturer demanded from the father an immediate retraction of the alleged libelous letter/publication in Sahara Reporters and 6 (six) other online platforms/blogs and an express and unambiguous apology to be published in Sahara Reporters, with the same or greater prominence and circulation.
He explained that his client shall be compelled to commence a civil action at a competent court of law, for the enforcement of his civil rights and claim exemplary and general damages of N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) against him within 7 (seven) days of the receipt of the letter if the demands were ignored.
The letter reads in part, "We are Solicitors to Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, lecturer at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (“our Client”) on whose instruction we write in respect of the above subject matter.
"Our Client has informed us that on or about September 16, 2024, you caused to be published an article titled: “Sex-for-Marks Scandal Rocks Federal University Oye-Ekiti:” on Sahara Reporters and other known and unknown blogs, wherein you alleged that our Client gave your daughter Aramide, a failing grades after she declined her advances.
"We are further informed, that the said publication of September 16, 2024 in Sahara Reporters and other online platforms, is in furtherance of your letter dated August 20, 2024 allegedly addressed to the Vice-Chancellor, wherein you threatened that should the University not act on your letter within 2 (two) weeks, you shall make your unverified and concocted evidence public, which said purported evidence includes unverified chats allegedly between our Client and your daughter; True to that threat and by throwing caution to the wind, you had attached series of unverified and unverifiable chats purportedly between our Client and your daughter, wherein our client allegedly solicited for an intimate relationship.
"Contrary to your assertions in your letters and defamatory publications, Our Client affirms that-
"Our Client: Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia did not give a failing grade to your daughter due to her refusal of advances allegedly made to her. Rather, your daughter earned a failing grade, in line with the marking scheme approved by the University.
"Despite being a teacher yourself and in a most disappointing manner, you approached our client, to pressure and intimidate him with your position as a teacher in a military school, to “give” a pass grade to your daughter, even though she was not so qualified, by virtue of her poor performance in the examination.
"Quoting from your chat of 17th August, 2024 with our client you stated thus: “Please sir, I am Aramide’s Father. Kindly assist me on her issue. I am someone like you sir. Please don’t let all my efforts on her be in vain. I am a teacher in 192 Battalion Nigerian Army. Please I beg of you on her issue.
"Upon our Client’s explanation to you on the lackadaisical attitude of your daughter to her academics and the need to prevail on her to take her studies seriously, you ended the chat thus:
“'Thank you so much sir. I’m so grateful to hear from you. Almighty God will honour you and elevate you to greater heights. Amen Please sir Just help me so that everything will be alright.'
"You would also recall that at your request and pressure on our client to award an unmerited pass grade to your daughter, Our Client had advised you to apply for a re-mark of her script, which is a known procedure for challenging the grade of any student.
"Rather than take this route and irked by the refusal of our Client to award an unmerited pass grade to your daughter, you took to the media space to defame him, cyber-bully and tarnish his reputation, mindless of your daughter’s admission to you, that she merited the grade she got in the course.
"Your incited and defamatory publications have wrongly exposed our Client to utter contempt and ridicule in the estimation of right thinking members of society, especially the academic community, where is he is a distinguished scholar and academician.
"Accordingly, we have our Client’s instruction to suggest to you the following options for the resolution of this matter:
"An IMMEDIATE RETRACTION of the libelous letter/publication in Sahara Reporters and 6 (six) other online platforms/blogs and an express and unambiguous APOLOGY to be published in Sahara Reporters, with the same or greater prominence and circulation.
"A written undertaking not to publish any similar or further libel of and concerning our Client, that you may have posted or hosted on any online platform.
"To immediately take steps necessary to remove, delete and expunge all false stories concerning our client, which you have caused to be published. Take notice that our Client shall be compelled to commence a civil action at a Competent Court of Law, for the enforcement of his civil rights and claim exemplary and general damages of N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) against you within 7 (seven) days of your receipt of this letter, if you fail, refuse and/or neglect to accede to our Client’s modest demand as stated above.
"Further note that at the instruction of our client, we shall make a formal complaint against you to the Nigerian Military, being not a fit and proper person to continue to teach the wards of our military personnel, due to the bankruptcy of moral values, to the extent of pleading and pressurizing a lecturer to award undeserving marks to your daughter who had failed her examinations. We hope that wise counsel would prevail!"