A lecturer with the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, has refuted allegations of sexual harassment and deliberate low mark awarded allegedly to a female student, Aramide Olahanloye . The allegation was leveled against Dr. Agbegbedia by Mr. Olahanloye Rasaq of the Nigerian Army Command School 192 Battalion, Ogun State.
But in a swift reaction by Dr. Agbegbedia through his lawyer, Peter Ekavwo, a Principal Attorney , has denied awarding low mark to the female student let alone harassing her sexually. He also demanded that Mr. Rasaq retracts his allegation and delete all defamatory publications against him in seven days or face a legal suit of N500 million . The strongly worded letter , entitled : DEFAMATION OF DR. ANTHONY AGBEGBEDIA, LECTURER IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY, OYE- EKITI IN YOUR PUBLICATION OF 16TH SEPTEMBER, 2024,
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-
(i) 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.
(ii) 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.”
(ii) 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.”
(iii) 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.
(iv) 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.
PRE-ACTION PROTOCOL
“Accordingly, we have our Client’s instruction to suggest to you the following options for the resolution of this matter:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 exemplenary 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!”