The National Association of Nigerian Students (NAN) South West Zone, on Wednesday, reinstated the suspended Public Relations Officer of the zone, Mr Opeyemi Awoyinfa, who was alleged of raping a female undergraduate in Akure, Ondo State capital.
The group said Awoyinfa was reinstated because it was a false accusation that was levelled against him as the committee set up to investigate the activities leading to his accusation later found out.
The Coordinator of the Southwest Zone, Mr Adegboye Olatunji, announced Awoyinfa’s reinstatement in a statement on Wednesday.
He said the five-man investigation team in their report found out that both rape and attempt to blackmail allegations levelled against Awoyinfa were falsehood and the widest imagination of the writer of the story on a Twitter account and recommended his reinstatement.
He explained what really transpired between Awoyinfa and the lady in question, saying they were both friends and in disagreement and already agreed to go their separate ways.
It was in that process according to him that the writer of the accusation and his accomplice published the development on their Twitter account as rape and attempt to blackmail the case against the lady in question by Awoyinfa.
He explained further that both the writer and his accomplice were arrested by the Ondo State Police Command in Akure over the misleading news and that they had since tendered an apology to Awoyinfa and the lady in question and equally retracted the allegation using the same Twitter account platform.
“So, it was based on these findings that the leadership of NANS Zone D lifted the suspension placed on Awoyinfa Opeoluwa as the Public Relations Officer of our zone and we wish him well in the office and his other endeavours,” he stressed.
The coordinator said Awoyinfa’s earlier suspension was to enable the committee to do their investigation without interference, fear or favour.
He, however, reaffirmed that NANS has a zero-tolerance for rape and for every other social vice and therefore would not in any way shield any officer or member from punishment if found culpable of wrongdoings anywhere.
He also warned writers of fake news to desist from the practice as the damaging effect of such on the person concerned, the organisation represented and the society at large is always huge and at times irredeemable.
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