Following a viral BBC video documentary, the Foursquare Gospel Church has asked one of its ministers who is also a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Dr Boniface Igbeneghu, to step down from all ministerial assignments.
This was released in a statement on Monday by the National Secretary of the church, Ikechukwu Ugbaja, the church dissociated itself from Igbeneghu, saying appropriate measures would be taken against him.
The Associate Professor had been filmed making amorous advances at a ‘prospective student’ of the University of Lagos.
The ‘student’ who was actually an undercover reporter, had introduced herself to Igbeneghu as 17 years old and an admission seeker.
Igbeneghu had shut the door against the girl and demanded a kiss, as he drew her closer to himself.
The documentary video had attracted criticisms from Nigerians, who demanded that the lecturer be punished.
The church’s national secretary said action was being taken on the matter.
He said: “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 – BBC News’ 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.”