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Tag: Sex scandal

  • Sex scandal: Ugandan varsity suspends lecturer

    Mr Edward Kisuze of Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, has been suspended and placed on half salary till the end of investigation of sexual harassment allegation levelled against him by a student.

    Rachael Njeri, on April 13, accused Kisuze of sexual harassment when she visited his office at Room 507 in the school to receive her transcript and recommendation letter.

    Following the scandal, the university management served Kisuze a suspension letter through Acting Vice-Chancellor (AC), William Bazero Esq.

    The letter read: “I hereby suspend you from university service on half pay with immediate effect to allow a smooth investigation into the matter. You are strongly advised to desist from any access to the senate building premises and interactions with students of Makerere University until investigations are completed. You are further required to handover all university property that may be in your possession.”

    Kisuze was asked to explain the allegation, but when he could not provide a satisfactory explanation, the university then placed him on immediate suspension with half salary, pending an investigation into the allegation. A committee was set up by the school to investigate the matter.

    Rachael, in her letter to the school dated April 16, 2018, explained how Kisuze fondled her breast and stripped her down to underpants.

  • Sex scandal: OAU ASUU chapter hails prof.’s suspension

    The Academic Staff Union ( ASUU ), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, says it is satisfied with the suspension Prof. Richard Akindele, who was allegedly involved in a sex-for-mark scandal.

    Dr Adeola Egbedodun, the Chairperson of the union, in a statement in Osogbo on Friday, commended the university management for the prompt action taken on the recommendations of the investigative panel.

    The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede,  on Thursday confirmed the suspension of the professor.

    Ogunbodede, in a statement, said he had received and considered the interim report of the committee set up to investigate the allegation, as revealed in the audio recording.

    He also said that the female voice in the audio which went viral had been identified as that of Miss Monica Osetobe Osagie, a postgraduate student on the Master of Business Administration programme.

    Read Also: OAU sex for marks: I was never invited by the committee – Monica Osagie

    Egbedokun, however, urged the Vice Chancellor and his team not to relent in their efforts to get to the root of the matter and ensure that justice was done.

    “The Obafemi Awolowo University Branch ASUU commends the administration for the step taken towards ensuring sanity in the system.

    “The union expresses satisfaction on the prompt action taken by the administration.

    “ASUU OAU reiterates its commitment to defending the integrity of the code of conduct of the university and to upholding its ethical standards.’’

    Egbedokun, however, urged members of the union to always adhere strictly to the code of conduct guiding their appointment in the university as they carry out their lawful activities.

  • Sex-for-mark: OAU prof has case to answer

    •Victim identified

    Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State has suspended a senior lecturer, Prof. Richard Akindele, allegedly involved in a sex scandal.

    He was suspended, pending the determination of the case.

    The university said it had established that the female voice in the phone conversation was that of Miss Monica Osetobe Osagie, a postgraduate Business Administration student doing a regular programme.

    A statement by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, said: “Having regard to the gravity of the offence for which Prof.  Akindele is found to be prima facie liable, the vice chancellor, in line with the code of conduct of the university and acting under the laws and regulations of the university enabling him in that regard, has directed his suspension.

    “We will like to reiterate that OAU will continue to do everything legally and morally acceptable in pursuance of its avowed commitment to zero tolerance for sexual harassment, intimidation and, or coercion.”

    Prof. Ogunbodede said he had received and considered the interim report of the Investigative Committee.

    He said according to the report submitted to the Office of the Vice Chancellor, it had been established that Prof. Akindele of the Department of Management and Accounting was the lecturer in the controversial “marks for sex” audio recording.

    The vice chancellor said: “Although the committee had invited Prof. Akindele and Miss Osagie, only the professor appeared before the committee. Miss Osagie is yet to appear or make any representation.

    “The report indicated that other witnesses appeared before the committee and gave evidence. The university is making efforts to ensure that Miss Osagie appears before the committee so that it can hear her side of the case and submit its final report.

    “The committee observed that a prima facie case of inappropriate relationship with the female student had been established against Prof. Akindele. The vice chancellor, having carefully and dispassionately considered the report, came to the conclusion that a prima facie case of serious misconduct has been established.

    “Under the provisions of the relevant statute of the university, an academic worker can only be dismissed or have his or her appointment terminated when the matter on which consideration is being given has been investigated by a Joint Council and Senate Committee, and the worker has appeared before the committee with his or her counsel, if so desired.

    “This procedure is the minimum requirement of the law and regulations of the university. It should, therefore, be noted that the suspension of Prof. Akindele is on the basis of the findings of the committee that he is prima facie liable, and this decision will abide, pending the final determination of the case by the council.”

  • King’s sadness as sex scandal leaves Nobel academy ‘in ruins’

    The body that awards the Nobel Prize for Literature has been rocked by three resignations over a sex scandal that widened with claims that winners’ names were regularly leaked.

    Jean-Claude Arnault, the husband of Katarina Frostenson, a celebrated Swedish poet and a member of the Swedish Academy, has been accused of sexually assaulting 18 women, including other academy members, their wives and daughters.

    Mr Arnault has denied the charges.

    Anders Olsson, a literary historian who has been one of the 18 members since 2008, said: “I want to believe that the academy can survive this crisis. I never thought that we were actually in such a severe crisis but I have come to realise it is worse than one can imagine.”

    King Carl XVI Gustaf, the academy’s patron, expressed his sadness as the dispute boiled over into the worst crisis in its 232-year history. He said the resignations were “a sad development that I hope will be solved”.

    The academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustaf III to advance Swedish language and literature. It began the literature prize in 1901 after being named in the will of Alfred Nobel and given the annual task of identifying “the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction”. It was one of the five Nobel prizes he created.

    Frostenson, 65, one of the country’s foremost poets, was elected to the membership of the academy in 1992. Her husband was accused last November of using his position as head of an influential arts venue, the Forum in Stockholm, to abuse numerous women. As a result, the academy cut its annual funding to the Forum, which is co-owned by Mr Arnault and Frostenson.

    The academy’s members, drawn from Sweden’s literary elite and appointed for life, then held an unprecedented secret ballot on a motion to remove Frostenson. The vote went her way, leading three of the members to announce their resignations on Friday. Technically they cannot leave, and those who have resigned in the past have been replaced only when they died.

    Mr Arnault, 71, denies all the allegations against him and most are not being investigated by police because they took place beyond the statute of limitations for prosecution.

    The academy now finds itself caught up in further controversy after the Dagens Nyheter newspaper, which first published the allegations against Mr Arnault but without identifying him, published claims yesterday that he had leaked the names of the literature prize- winners seven times, including that of the 2016 laureate Bob Dylan. This has increased the pressure on the academy, which has long prided itself on its top- secret selection process.

    Björn Wiman, the culture editor of Dagens Nyheter, said: “It is difficult to see how the Academy will be able to move on after this. The institution is in ruins.”

    Peter Englund, one of the three members who resigned, said that he had done so because too many members “have given too great consideration to the individual and too little consideration to the by-laws and the core ideals of the association.”

    The academy’s rules stipulate that a quorum of at least 12 members is necessary to make significant decisions such as electing a new member, although a simple majority is all that is needed to choose the prize winner.

    Another member, Sara Stridsberg, is also said to be considering resigning and, with two others already on long-term leave for reasons not connected with the latest scandal, the academy is on the verge of institutional paralysis.

     

    • Culled from The Times, United Kingdom (UK)

  • Sex scandal rocks Ekiti Mega Party

    •’Allegation untrue’

    The police in Ekiti State have summoned the state Chairman of Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN), Chief Oludare Adekolu, over alleged sexual harassment of the Women Leader, Mrs. Oluyemi Ojaomo.

    Ojaomo, who reported her boss at the Ologede Police Station on

    Ikere Road, Ado-Ekiti, alleged that he had been threatening to kill her for refusing his sexual advances.

    Addressing reporters at the police station yesterday, the women leader, a retired headmistress, alleged that the MPN chairman touched her

    buttocks anytime she visited the secretariat.

    She alleged that Adekolu removed her from her position, an action she described as “unlawful, illegal and against the party constitution.”

    Ojaomo wrote a statement at the police station, chronicling the alleged sexual harassment suffered in the hands of Adekolu.

    She alleged: “I am not into politics to flirt around, but to contribute my quota to the development of our society.

    “I joined Mega Party last year and it resolved to make me the

    state women leader. Shortly after resuming office, the chairman began to make sexual advances to me, which I declined.

    “I never knew my action didn’t go down well with him. He later showed enmity to me by threatening to kill me if I refused his request.

    “I didn’t take him seriously, but when he unilaterally removed my name as the women leader on Monday, I knew he was up to something.

    “I challenged him on the removal and he said my life worth nothing to him. Adekolu is a known Ifa priest. I don’t

    want to die. That was why I reported him to the police.”

    A senior officer at the police station, who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak for the command, said the chairman had been invited to state his own side of the story.

    The officer said: “The issue has been reported to us and we have

    contacted Adekolu.

    “He took permission to attend a meeting after which he will come to us, so we are hopeful he will be here today (Tuesday).

    “We have asked the complainant to write her statement. This will determine the next line of action.”

    Adekola said: “It is not true that I touched Mrs. Ojaomo’s buttocks and I did not threaten to kill her as she alleged. She has come to beg me with our party members. I have not gone to any police station on the matter.

    “Mrs. Ojaomo has come back with other party members to beg me.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • IBBUL sex scandal: Lecturer, student to face suspension

    THE management of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL), has recommended the suspension of the lecturer and student involved in a sex scandal that rocked the institution few  weeks ago.

    It will be recalled that a sexual scandal involving Malam Ishaq Yusuf, a teacher in the Department of English Language and Communication Studies, and a 400-Level undegraduate of the department, Chidimma Mercy Samuel, had gone viral on social media.

    The investigation panel set up by the management recommended the suspension of the duo.

    The panel headed by a Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Samual Kolo Tswanya, which submitted its report to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Mohammed Nasir Maiturare, at the weekend, also recommended the referral of the principal suspects in the scandal to various disciplinary committees of the institution.

    The committee said 20 people, including the principal actors, were interrogated during its sitting.

    Maiturare thanked the committee for a job well done, adding that the recommendations would be studied and implemented.

    He said it had become imperative for the institution to remain focused and to produce high quality graduates who are worthy in both character and learning.

    He warned that the management team would not tolerate any misconduct by staff and students that could tarnish the image of the university.

  • Sex scandal: My story, by lecturer

    Sex scandal: My story, by lecturer

    Ishaq G. Yusuf, a lecturer at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU) in Lapai, Niger State, accused by a student, Mercy Chidinma Samuel, of sexually harassing her, claims that he is a victim of an orchestrated plan to destroy him. He says he won’t rest until he gets justice.

    All my life, I have always wanted to be a teacher because the teaching profession represents an epitome of integrity. I have always believed that through education, we can contribute to the development of our society.

    So, consciously, I choose to be a teacher. I have struggled all my life to protect my integrity and this is why I have decided to speak out, because silence is tantamount to acceptance.

    My ordeal started when my PhD supervisor (Dr Abaya) who is currently a sabbatical staff in my department asked me to help him administer a 40-minute test of ENG 409, a course Mercy Samuel was writing.

    The class to be used for the test was too small, thereby necessitating the division of the class into two. The rule surrounding the conduct of the test was laid down by the examiner, that a student caught cheating would have his or her script torn.

    Mercy sat behind her classmate, Samuel by name. And when the test was about to round off, Samuel raised his scripts for Mercy to copy. I warned Samuel to desist but he just smiled and carried on. I therefore collected his paper and wrote on it, “cheated”.

    Then, I kept the script on the table waiting for other students to finish. As the test ended, Dr Abaya came in and asked me if there was any problem during the test. I replied “yes”. I showed him Samuel’s paper and explained what happened. The paper was torn.

    The following day, Mercy kept on calling me that she wanted to see me, because Samuel had been disturbing her and she needed me to help them talk to Dr Abaya on behalf of the Samuel. I clearly told her that there was nothing I could do about it. I stayed in my office preparing my handover notes to the next examination officer in my department as I was just recently appointed as the Faculty Examinations Officer. I was also busy preparing materials for the forth coming first semester examination.

    I left my office around 10pm on the fateful day for my house in Lapai town. On my way home, I slowed down near the Master Chef Restaurant, where the portion of road is sandy. I saw Mercy by the side of the road. Before I could fathom what was happening, four boys opened my car, jumped inside and closed the doors. One of them pressed a gun behind my head and ordered me to keep driving until we got to Mercy’s house.

    Then, they forced me into the house and ordered me to lick some oranges but I refused. Subsequently they boys forced me to take some water melon. One of the boys slapped me repeatedly. He said that he failed my GST course for three years and kept on slapping me   with both hands shouting : “Am I dull, am I dull?”

    He kept on beating me, shouting that he was so angry with me. Up till date, I still have problems with my ears as a result of the slapping and beating the boys subjected me to. They threatened to kill me if I did not comply with all their directives.

    Under duress, I was forced to write four undertakings to pass some four students in the exams. They beat and kicked me and I sustained injury in my hand. They asked me to sit and write an essay of 450 words the way I used to ask them to write essay in the class.

    All through these, they were smoking and drinking. Thereafter, I was asked to remove my clothes but I refused. They forcefully stripped me and took some shots of me and their leader identified as SKT. They took my handsets, ATM cards and some cash that I had in my pocket. They soaked my shirt in water. They asked me how much I had in the bank and I told them it was not up to N100,000.

    They kept me hostage throughout the night doing different chores for them, including mopping the floor for Mercy. They humiliated and abused me throughout the night, while Mercy recorded video of me. After several hours I was going through the ordeal, I started experiencing pains in my chest and started bringing out some mucus. I went to the toilet to spit out the mucus and came back to be engaged in another task until one of them observing my condition said they should allow me to go so that I would not die in their hands. Then they called somebody and gave me the phone to talk to him. As they released me, they gave me a phone number which I must call by 10am when I get home.

    After my release, I reported the incident to my Dean. Later that same day, they still came to my office to confront me, locked me inside and demanded to know why I was “following” Mercy. They further demanded that I bring the N2million they asked me for. Even when I went out of my office later, I still saw the people that came to my office in strategic places watching my office.

    I decided that the world must hear my side of the story, which is now being investigated by the law enforcement agents and the university authority. I was kidnapped, assaulted, humiliated, and psychologically traumatised. Yet, they still sent out my unclad pictures and videos doing chores on the Internet. I have been maligned and defamed and I will not rest until I get justice.

  • I used to be ashamed of being a teenage mother – BBNaija Ruthee

    In an intimate conversation with fellow housemate, Mayor Frosh, Rhuthee opened up about her emotional journey as a teenage mother.

    She revealed that she initially felt ashamed of having a child at a young age and struggled to talk about it.

    Rhuthee admitted that she feared judgment and rejection, making it hard to disclose her status as a mother.

    However, as her daughter grew older, Rhuthee said her perspective changed, realising that her child brought immense love and joy into her life, becoming the “best thing” that ever happened to her.

    “How do I tell people I have a child? I can’t tell people. I never used to tell people I have a child,” she said while fighting back tears.

    “It was just people that knew me from way back that knew that. I was still very ashamed that I had a child. It took me years to come out of that shell.

    “As she grew, she even showed me more love than I ever did. And I’m like, this girl is the best thing that happened to me”, she said.

  • Soldiers, Air Force men in IDPs camps sex scandal

    Soldiers, Air Force men in IDPs camps sex scandal

    Policemen, Civilian JTF members, ministry official arrested, says IG

    Soldiers, policemen and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) men and others have been implicated in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps sex scandal.
    The policemen and CJTF suspects have been arrested. The Army and the Air Force are expected to surrender their implicated men, Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris said yesterday.
    According to him, police investigators swung into action after the  Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on alleged sexual abuses, exploitation, harassment, gender-based violence and professional misconduct on IDPs. The camps were opened following the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.
    Those indicted include two police officers, one prison warden, two civilian JTF members, a civilian from the Ministry of Agriculture, Maiduguri and three servicemen in the Army and the Air Force.
    The HRW report alleged that there were 43 cases of abuses and misconduct.
    Briefing senior officers at the Force Headquarters in Abuja yesterday, the IGP said: “About three or four weeks ago, I established a panel to investigate some allegations made by the Human Rights Watch.
    “Investigation was conducted by the IGPs Monitoring Team at the Force Headquarters and they made contact with the Human Rights Watch in order for them to help us verify some of the allegations but, according to the response we got, they said they don’t reveal their sources of information.
    “Despite that, our officers, with much tenacity and professionalism, were able to unearth some of the allegations and we have so far arrested some suspects. Some of these suspects are police officers, some are from sister agencies while some are civilians.”
    Idris went on: “As I am talking to you, we have two police officers under investigation and they are in detention now. We have a prison warden, two civilian JTF, a civilian from the Ministry of Agriculture, Maiduguri who is now in our detention.
    “In respect of our sister agency, we have written to them for them to avail us some of their personnel. These sister agencies, we are expecting three; obviously from the Army, and one from Airforce. Those are the people presently subjected to investigation.”
    On efforts made to forestall future reoccurrence, the police chief said: “We know that it is an unfortunate incident that happened in most of these IDP camps and we are putting a lot of measures in place to address some of these issues.
    “We have deployed a lot of women police officers in the camps in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe state and we are going into partnership with the United States (U.S.) to see how we can enhance the training of our personnel who we are going to attach to some of these IDPs.
    He added: “As usual, those in the police and the military, as a procedure, we are going to dismiss them first before we take them to court but I am assuring that they will be taken to court to answer for this criminal act which they conducted.”
    On Rivers rerun election; the IGP said the police would replicate what it did in Ondo State.
    “Rivers is the next challenge we are having, but by the grace of God, just as we did in Ondo, we will do in Rivers. We have started the deployment of officers and I will be in Rivers on Thursday to address the men.”
    On the preparation made for the Yuletide, Idris said: “Roadblocks have been cancelled and I cannot give a blanket order that police officers should not ask for licences because it is a way of checking crime.
    “We will try to limit the deployment of our patrol vehicles on the roads. We should try to ease the movement of people on the road and we will continue to deploy X-Squad, especially in the southeastern part of the country where these complaints are coming from and I want CPs, AIGs to ensure smooth movement of travellers during the Yuletide,” he said.
    On the uproar caused by some officers and men on special duty who are owed allowances, the IGP hinted that a permanent record would be created where names and account details of officers and men will be easily accessed.
    He said: “Henceforth, CPs should be involved because up to yesterday, we still have policemen that are sending eight digits account number instead of ten digits. I think CPs should have interest in these to avoid going back and forth. I have set up a panel to come up with how we can address some of these issues of payment of allowances in accordance with due process.
    “As a final solution, because we have a lot of elections ahead of us and this is just rerun, we are going to develop a permanent record for every police officer from  name till the last so that when we have special duty, we will just check the list we have and then take the account numbers from our record.”
    Idris urged his officers and men to drop their account details for easy processing.

  • Ex-Miss Anambra beauty queen opens up on sex scandal

    Ex-Miss Anambra beauty queen opens up on sex scandal

    Since the story of the sex video involving former Miss Anambra, Chidinma Okeke, broke a few weeks ago, several groups and individuals have come forward with different versions of what transpired between the embattled 20-year-old beauty queen and the organisers of the pageant.

    The former beauty queen was seen in a shocking x-rated video with a lesbian partner. Surprisingly, the video was released on October 11, 2016, a few days before the expiration of her tenure originally billed for October 28, 2016.

    Every day across the state since the video hit the streets, different versions of what led to the scandal are churned out by the actors, leaving the people confused and unsure of what to believe.

    Since the scandal broke, Miss Chidinma Okeke, who won the Miss Anambra beauty pageant, organised by the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), has remained incommunicado, choosing to go into hiding over alleged threats to her life. She has also remained silent, leaving her lawyer to do most of the talking.

    While the father, Sir Jeremiah Okeke, had claimed in recent reports that his daughter had been handed over to a relation for safety, some others claimed that the ex-beauty queen had relocated abroad.

    But after weeks of keeping quiet, Miss Okeke has finally broken her silence. In an exclusive interview with The Nation, she debunked claims that she threatened to commit suicide, adding that there was never a time such thought came to her mind.

    She also said her life might no longer be in danger, adding that her traducers were no longer threatening her life, and maintaining that those who were after her life had stopped contacting her.

    She also said the faces behind her agonizing period in Anambra would be revealed soon, adding that with God, all things are possible.

    Narrating her own side of the story, she said: “Early last year, the ABS advertised for the Miss Anambra beauty pageant. I heard of it and went to make enquiry.

    “My roommate was also interested, but one of the organisers told me to apply. I told them I was not interested but the man insisted that I might win the competition. He also promised to give me the form for free if I indicated interest, and he did when I agreed to contest.

    “But one Jane told me that before a winner would be declared, there were certain things to be done, including the (sex) video. I consented after some persuasion from the organisers. I later went for the contest at the Marble Arch Hotels in Awka, and I was declared winner with a Kia Rio vehicle as star prize.

    “When I went for my car after the contest, the organisers brought out a contract form for me to sign, but I told them I wanted to contact my lawyer to see it. I was not given the opportunity to do so.

    “What they kept telling me was that if I insisted on not signing the contract or wanted to contact my lawyer, they would release the video.

    “At that point, I became uncomfortable and signed the contract to avoid such embarrassment, and the car was released to me from where it was packed within the premises of ABS.

    “From that moment, I became a slave to them. On October 11, 2016, they called me to come and make presentations inside the office of one the organisers. After that, the man excused some people in that room and showed me the video again.

    “They told me to drop my car and removed my crown from me. I told them I would take the car as stipulated in the contract. They insisted I should pack it in the premises of (ABS).

    “I told my uncle in Abuja about the situation. My uncle called them and asked them to release my car to me. Instead, they forwarded the video to him as part of the blackmail. That was what happened,” Chidinma said, crying.

    She also said the scandal had weighed her down. Amidst sobs, she denied being a lesbian, saying she had never been involved in the act.

    For her parents, Sir Jeremiah and his wife, Lady Nora Okeke, the incident remains a shock. According to Sir Okeke, the management and organisers of the pageant capitalised on his daughter’s “age and naivety to deny her whatever monetary gains she made while serving as Miss Anambra.”

    He added: “How can a beauty queen borrow money to pay her driver, even when she is supposed to be receiving a monthly salary?

    “I cannot say all that I heard or saw. Why was she not paid her winning prize of one million naira fully? Rather, they paid her on installmental basis. And up until today, the money has not been completely paid.

    “They have rubbished her and rubbed the family’s name in the mud. But we have united as a family, praying seriously for my daughter and for the people behind this wicked act to be exposed.

    “My family at first agreed not to tell me about the whole thing, because I am hypertensive. But they decided otherwise when things got out of hand. I told them this issue will not kill me because I have had worse experiences while in business years back.

    “My God, as always, will answer me and expose the truth in no distant time. I won’t say much because the damage has already been done.

    “Chidinma is a small girl who does not know anything, hence, she fell into a trap that was too heavy for her to shoulder. But I thank God she is recovering.”

    All through the interview, Chidinma’s mother, who was advised by the husband to remain silent, continued to hiss, and motioning her hands towards the heavens in supplication to God.

    Two of the chiefs in Ogboji community in Orumba South Local Government Area, where Chidinma hails from, Chief Obi Okoli (Idejimba) and Chief Julius Nwankwo (Nwabulu-Omee), told The Nation that the incident had left them in shock.

    Okoli, who described Chidinma as a nice and well-trained girl from a Christian home, saw the entire thing as a set up, but argued that such issues would only happen if somebody presents oneself.

    According to him, “she is a well brought up girl from a good family background and Christian home. There could be more to this than meets the eyes.”

    Asked if the community was not going to say anything on the sex scandal involving their daughter, Okoli laughed and said: “There are ways of handling such issues, and I don’t think the community will be involved.”

    Also speaking, Chief Julius Nwankwo, described the situation as a pity, adding that today’s children behave as they like.

    However, he said that the people of Ogboji community were seeing it as blackmail, adding that none of them was happy with what happened to their daughter.

    He said: “As an Ogboji man, I am pained that such a thing happened to one of our own, and that is why we want the authorities concerned to look into the saga appropriately, with a view to arresting those involved.

    “When our daughter won the award, we were happy. For anybody or group of persons to rubbish her and our community is what we will not condone.”

    Nwankwo said they heard some people had been apprehended over the sex scandal, adding that the authorities should look well in making sure that wrong people were not punished.

    The Managing Director of ABS, the organisers, Uche Nworah did not comment on the queen’s allegations when we contacted him. He instead  referred us to the organisation’s earlier statement.

    In the earlier statement, the organisers had dissociated themselves from the scandal. Part of the statement read: “The attention of the management of the Anambra Broadcasting Service, organisers of the Miss Anambra Beauty Pageant, has been drawn to a video with lurid contents purportedly showing former Miss Anambra, Miss Chidinma Okeke (Miss Anambra 2015).

    “The said Miss Chidinma Okeke, who is allegedly linked to the lurid content in circulation, has served out her term as Miss Anambra 2015 and handed over the crown in line with the terms and conditions of The Miss Anambra pageant.

    “We condemn in clear terms any amoral behaviour/conduct as suggested by the alleged lurid content in circulation and do not condone such.

    “It is on record that The Miss Anambra Beauty Pageant has been a platform to empower Anambra women and celebrate our rich culture and heritage. Winners of the pageant are bound to contracts to be of good conduct and moral behaviour and to uphold/maintain the honour in their position as queen.

    “Winners of the pageant also contract to refrain from any personal relationship that could appear to hinder their ability to perform the duties of their office as queen and role model, and we do not expect any less.

    “We, therefore, wish to dissociate The Miss Anambra pageant from any discussions on the said allegations.

    “We feel sufficiently perturbed by the mere reference already made to the pageant and hereby state that we are in no way connected to the controversy.

     “We apologise to the government and good people of Anambra State, our sponsors, supporters, friends and all those associated with the Miss Anambra project for the embarrassment the mere reference to the pageant in the controversy may have caused whilst reassuring of the good intentions of the Miss Anambra pageant franchise.”