The Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, FUOYE, has threatened legal action against media organisations and publishers over reports linking its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, and other principal officers to alleged cybercrime offences.
The university expressed concerns over what it described as repeated attempts to tarnish the image of the Vice-Chancellor and the institution through publications which allegedly presented unsubstantiated claims as established facts.
The university spoke in a statement signed and made available to journalists by the registrar, Mufutau Ibrahim.
The statement disclosed that the university’s lawyers were reviewing the publications and would formally contact the publishers to demand explanations and credible evidence supporting their reports.
The institution warned that failure to provide satisfactory explanations or verifiable evidence could compel it to institute legal proceedings against the publishers, including civil action and where permitted by law, criminal proceedings.
The university maintained that Professor Ogunwole had not been found guilty by any court of unlawfully intercepting private conversations, accessing electronic information or tampering with communication devices.
FUOYE also denied allegations that the vice-chancellor hacked anyone’s telephone, intercepted private communications or manipulated electronic information belonging to another person.
Parts of the statement read: “The Federal University Oye-Ekiti, FUOYE, is considering legal action against publishers of reports linking its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, and other principal officers to alleged cybercrime offences.
“The university was worried about the continued publication of allegations which, in its view, were giving the public a wrong impression about the Vice-Chancellor and the leadership of the institution.
“If the publishers failed to provide satisfactory explanations or credible evidence, the university would consider taking them to court.
“Professor Ogunwole had not been found guilty by any court of unlawfully intercepting private conversations, accessing electronic information or tampering with communication devices.
“The Vice-Chancellor did not hack any telephone, intercept private communications or alter electronic information belonging to anyone.
“The matter involved an audio recording that was already circulating publicly before it came to the attention of the university management.
“Neither the university nor the Vice-Chancellor was responsible for making the recording or bringing it into circulation.
“The recording later became an issue within the university, leading to an administrative process in which some individuals connected with the matter were asked to provide explanations.
“Professor Ogunwole only became involved because of his responsibilities as Vice-Chancellor, as there was nothing in its records to suggest that he unlawfully obtained, recorded or altered anyone’s private conversation.”