Adeleke University offers rape victim scholarship

Adeleke University, Ede

The management of Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, has offered to give a scholarship to the 18-year-old admission seeker allegedly raped by a part-time lecturer of the University of Lagos, Mr. Akin Baruwa.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the institution became concerned about the fate of the girl following series of PUNCH reports detailing the girl’s experience.

Our correspondent contacted the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Oluwole Amusan, who confirmed this on Wednesday.

The university don explained that the institution decided to take the step because the management was moved by the plight of the girl, who was allegedly raped in the course of her quest for a university education.

The VC said, “Giving out scholarships to indigent students is not new to us. Our founder had a foundation whose existence preceded the university, through which scholarships were given to students.

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“Since the university was established four years ago, the tradition has continued.”

According to the VC, the scholarship would cover the four-year duration of Mass Communication, which the girl has chosen to study, a course which UNILAG has said she was not qualified for with her 211 score in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

He said it has not been determined whether the scholarship would be full or partial since he had not yet interacted with the father of the victim.

With a student population of over 1,000, one fifth of Adeleke University undergraduates are on scholarship, it was learnt.

The father of the alleged rape victim, told our correspondent that he had been contacted by the institution to come to the university.

“I was so happy when I was contacted. May God bless you so much for seeing the case through. I am so happy. Such scholarship would be a big blessing to my daughter,” he said.