Nigerian professor jailed 2 years in 'sex for grades' case

A Nigerian professor has been handed a two-year jail term by a high court in Osogbo, capital of the southern Osun State.

Richard Iyiola Akindele, a former lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, had been accused of demanding sex from one of his students in order to change her grade from fail to pass.

He changed his not guilty plea to guilty of demanding sex from Monica Osagie, one of his students, as condition to get a pass mark in his course.

In April 2018, an audio recording of a phone conversation between the two emerged, where he was heard demanding rounds of sex before she could pass the course.

The federal High Court led by Justice Maureen Onyetunu sentenced him on four counts. Three carried twnety-four months sentence and one carried twelve months. All sentences are to run concurrently.

The ruling has largely been celebrated by Nigerians on social media who are hoping that it will boost the fight against female harassment in tertiary institutions across the country.