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.
The University of Lagos and leadership of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria have asked Dr Boniface Igbeneghu, a senior lecturer and former sub-dean of Faculty of Arts, who is also a pastor of a local branch of the church to step aside after being filmed demanding sex from a lady purportedly seeking admission into the institution.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, on Monday confirmed that the lecturer had been suspended indefinitely.
He said, “A panel will be set up to investigate the issue.”
Also on Monday, National Secretary of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Ikechukwu Ugbaja, in a statement announced Igbeneghu’s suspension, saying appropriate measures would be taken on the matter.
The statement reads:
“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 – 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.”
At a point in the video, he offered her a wine, asked her to switch off the light in the room so that he could kiss her.
After the young lady didn’t do as he had said, Igbeneghu soon stood up to switch off the light himself before going back on the sofa they both seated to pull her close to himself for what he described as a “cold room” experience.
According to the lecturer, the “cold room” is a place within the school’s staff club where he and his colleagues take female students to for sexual pleasure.
Since the video went public, there have been reactions from all across the country with many prominent voices calling for a quick action by the government to arrest sexual harassment in higher institutions in the country.
