Lecturer Involved in Scandal Caught Escaping
By Amarachukwu Callistus
On Tuesday at Paul University, Anambra State, a lecturer who allegedly sexually assaulted female students was reported to be on the run. His last known whereabouts was the Vice Chancellor’s office. This action was prompted by a report from a female student. Following a discreet investigation, the lecturer was caught on Wednesday at noon trying to escape through a window.
The lecturer, Reverend Cornelius Eze, is a priest and Venerable in the Awka Diocese, Anglican Church. He was also a former Principal Chief Laboratory Scientist in the Zoology Department, Faculty of Biosciences at Nnamdi Azikiwe University. However, he has recently been lecturing at Paul University, a private university in Anambra State, where the incident took place.
According to eyewitnesses and a video circulating on social media, he was reportedly harassing female students, which led the students to plan to catch him red-handed.
Earlier, the case was reported to the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Paul University, Venerable Professor Obiora Cyril Nwosu. The lecturer was accused of demanding sex in exchange for grades or to pass courses. Upon receiving the report, the VC involved some top school officials and a decision was made to set up an operation to verify the allegations.
However, information going viral claims the incident took place at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Unizik) and that he is still a lecturer at Unizik. But Chisom, a 300-level student in the Unizik Zoology Department, stated in an interview, “No, he is no longer a lecturer. He retired or stopped teaching in Unizik as of last semester”
According to a memo released by Unizik and signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Comrade Aloysius Emeka, the university debunked the misleading report by citizen journalists linking the scandalous act to Unizik. It stated that, “It has been established that the incident did not happen anywhere at Nnamdi Azikiwe University. The main character seen in the viral video is also not from Nnamdi Azikiwe University. For the records, no staff or student of Unizik is connected in any way to the incident…”
The lecturer who tried to escape has been caught and is being apprehended by the relevant authorities.
