The management of Akin Babalola University, and Akin Fadeyi Foundation will henceforth collaborate to fight the menace of sexual assaults, rape and cyberbulying on campus and anywhere else necessary.
In a letter seeking for the partnership written by the university to the Foundation, and signed by the duo of Babatunde M. Wahab (SAO) and Olumide Olugbemi-Gabriel, PhD, said the partnership has become necessary “to stem the rising tide of criminal offences especially domestic violence, sexual assaults and all forms of cyber-crimes within and outside ABUAD.”
They commended Akin Fadeyi Foundation on its flagiT App programme which it deployed to painstakingly document “cases of coordinated cyber bullying attacks launched by some unscrupulous persons against some female students of our institution”.
The letter explained in detail below:
“On behalf of the President and Chancellor as well as the management of ABUAD, I recognise and salute the tremendous efforts of your Foundation and Flagit App in containing the menace of sexual based violence, sexual offences and cyberspace criminality in general.
“The onerous task you perform as well as the great efforts which you put into it have been experienced first-hand with your recent involvement in cases of coordinated cyber bullying attacks launched by some unscrupulous persons against some female students of our institution. We also wish to commend your fearlessness and tenacity of purpose in not only providing the necessary guidance to the victims of that nefarious attacks but also working with us to commence the process of redress through the relevant security agencies.
“The extant and existential reality of today’s world is that criminality is festering amongst our youth populace at an alarming rate and intensity. Emerging criminal tendencies and trends are noted to be enabled by advancement in ICT and a corruption-ridden larger society.
“This is why we are excited to see the confidence and speed with which Flagit rose to the occasion in support of the victims, who are now on the road to getting the needed closure and justice.
“From close and deliberate observation, it has become crystal clear that the manner your Foundation and FlagIt handled the documentation of criminal tendencies and persons, offering at the same time ready evidence in the pursuit of justice, is highly desirable and encouraging.
“It is in view of the aforementioned that I in my capacity as Students’ Affairs Officer together with my partner, Dr Olumide Olugbemi-Gabriel, who specialises among others in gender-based oppression and exploitation of women/girls shall be glad to partner with your Foundation to stem the rising tide of criminal offences especially domestic violence, sexual assaults and all forms of cyber-crimes within and outside ABUAD.
In partnering with you, we are confident that our work/walk together would bring and bear positive results. We have a lot of experience to exchange on both ends and the proposed partnership will also boost our institutions’ efforts, and strengthen our technical capabilities to combat the nefarious activities of sexual offenders and cyberspace criminals in our institution and the society at large.
“In his remarks, Founder, Akin Fadeyi Foundation and the FlagIt App initiative, Akin Fadeyi affirmed “This is a very exciting development. Since we launched the FlagIt App as a mobile application to report corruption, we’ve been uncovering the nefarious activities of rapists and cyberbullies in our society. This has been accompanied by such audacious impudence of trading with or threatening to expose explicit pictures of victims who attempt to resist the pressure of blackmail. This is another troubling element of our systemic decay as a nation which we have confronted swiftly.
“This partnership with the Afe Babalola University bears testimony to the traction our activities have gained and we indeed commend the Chancellor, Aare Afe Babalola, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, the Students Affairs Officer, Mr. Babatunde Wahab and Dr. Olumide Olugbemi-Gabriel for their unwavering commitment to working with us to stamp out gender-based violence and exploitation of Women/Girls in ABUAD and the nation as a whole.”
Fadeyi urges Nigerians to continue to take positive advantage the FlagIt App offers to report acts of corruption and sexual offenses, asserting that, “for every act of corruption and sexual offense you cover up, you have inadvertently enabled a predator to go scot-free to the detriment of the larger society”