03/12/2024
Notorious, Overprotected Sexual Predator at Ekiti University
By Farooq A. Kperogi
A lecturer at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) by the name of Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia is in the eye of the storm of an outrageous sexual harassment scandal not just because of the damning consistency of his preying on female students like a ravening, sex-starved wolf but also because the institution’s vice chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina, appears intent to shelter him and grant him free rein to continue to terrorize more vulnerable female students.
Agbegbedia, a lecturer in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, has spent years using his position not to educate but to extort, not to mentor students but to disturb the peace of, and inspire conflict in, female students under his tutelage.
His name has become a byword for abuse, entitlement, and unchecked power at FUOYE. He uses his position to raven female students by dangling their academic futures as leverage.
With remarkably irrefutable evidentiary facts, such as the record of his WhatsApp chats with female students, Sahara Reporters and the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) have meticulously documented and exposed his consistent demand for sexual favors from female students in exchange for grades.
Yet, the university’s response to Agbegbedia’s widening and deepening dossier of accusations has ranged from tepid warnings to a promotion. Yes, a promotion! If irony could be weaponized, this would be an airstrike.
Agbegbedia’s alleged modus operandi is chillingly straightforward: advance sexually, fail students if they repel, repeat. Several students have recounted to Sahara Reporters and FIJ stories of intimidation, academic sabotage, and relentless pursuit after rebuffing his sexual overtures.
The case of a final-year student by the name of Ramota Olahanloye was what brought Agbegbedia’s unconscionable predation of female students to the forefront of national attention.
He failed the student and delayed her graduation for refusing his advances. She got a passing grade in his courses and eventually qualified to graduate only after her script was remarked by a neutral party in response to her father’s impassioned intervention and righteous rage.
This was not an isolated whisper. It’s only a small, visible part of a disturbing pattern of Agbegbedia’s excesses, which FUOYE has inexplicably ignored.
In the aftermath of being found guilty of sexual harassment by an FUOYE panel, the university administration’s remedy was a mere “warning” for “unethical behavior,” which smacks of both bureaucratic doublespeak and complicity.
Worse still, Agbegbedia was promoted to the rank of Reader (equivalent to associate professor in the American system) amidst this turmoil. One can only wonder what message this sends to other would-be sexual predators.
I won’t mince my words. The university’s decision to elevate him, despite the weight of these allegations, sends the message that academic predators will not only be tolerated but rewarded, as long as they know which strings to pull and know how to be protected by the invisible armor of patronage.
This protection isn’t accidental. Agbegbedia’s impunity stems, at least in part, from his cozy ties to the upper reaches of the institution’s administrative hierarchy, insiders say, and a system rigged to silence victims.
The institution’s claim that it “takes sexual harassment seriously” is belied by its actions.
It is a damning indictment of our system when a man with multiple accusations — bolstered by chats, student testimonies, and even confirmed tampering with examination results — is treated not as a pariah but as a prince.
FUOYE’s regulations unequivocally classify sexual harassment as gross misconduct. According to Section 8.3 of the university's "Revised Regulations for Senior Staff," gross misconduct is defined as "a specific act of very serious wrongdoing and improper behaviour which is inimical to the image of the service and which can be investigated and, if proven, may lead to dismissal." Sexual harassment is explicitly listed as one such act under this section.
The prescribed penalties for gross misconduct, including sexual harassment, are either dismissal or termination of appointment. There is no provision for a warning in such cases.
This aligns with precedent within the same university, where Dr. Desen Mbachaga, a lecturer in the Theatre Arts department, was accused and found guilty of similar misconduct in 2021, which caused his appointment to be terminated.
Agbegbedia's previous record, including a formal warning for embezzling departmental dues belonging to students during his tenure as Head of Department, further underlines the need for strict disciplinary action, as repeated misconduct indicates a pattern of behavior detrimental to the university's integrity.
Moreover, consistent enforcement of disciplinary standards is critical to maintaining the university's credibility. Other Nigerian universities have set strong examples. The dismissal and imprisonment of a professor at Obafemi Awolowo University for sexual harassment, among many other examples, demonstrate the severity with which such offenses are treated nationwide.
This is a challenge for Senator Ndoma-Egba, the incoming Pro-Chancellor of FUOYE, who is known for his strict stance on such matters. I hope he will uphold the integrity of the disciplinary process at Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, as he did at Federal University, Lokoja, where three lecturers were dismissed for similar offenses.
Sexual predation in academia thrives on silence and inertia. Each time a predator like Agbegbedia gets away with his crimes, a precedent is set, which emboldens others to follow suit.
The university, rather than being a sanctuary of learning, becomes a hunting ground for ravenous sexual wolves like him. The repercussions are profound. Students lose faith in their institutions, potential whistleblowers are silenced, and predators grow bolder. They prowl the campus and pounce down on female students with impunity.
FUOYE’s leaders must confront this festering crisis with urgency and integrity. Agbegbedia must be fired—not merely for the sake of the women he has tormented but as a warning to every would-be predator lurking in academia. Anything less than termination is complicity.
The stakes here extend beyond FUOYE. Across Nigeria, lecturers who exploit their power are emboldened by a culture of silence and weak enforcement. For every Agbegbedia exposed, countless others operate in shadows, their crimes obscured by shame, fear, and institutional inertia.
FUOYE has an opportunity—and an obligation—to set an example. Justice for these students isn’t merely about punishing one man; it’s about reclaiming academia as a haven for learning, not a site for sexual predation.
Agbegbedia must be dismissed—not warned, not transferred, not gently reprimanded, but fired. His firing should be accompanied by a public acknowledgment of his misconduct and a transparent account of the investigation’s findings.
To the university’s administrators, I offer this: your reputations are on trial as much as Agbegbedia’s. If you fail to act decisively, history will record your inaction as betrayal. Do not let the ivory tower crumble under the weight of your cowardice.
Finally, the Vice-Chancellor must reflect on his role in this debacle. Leadership is not a refuge for neutrality. If Professor Fasina cannot bring himself to expel a man whose actions have caused untold harm, then perhaps he too is unfit for the position he holds.
