Nhyira News has uncovered activities of a student who allegedly took nude pictures and videos of female students for blackmail at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani.
Victims of the scandal have been left with psychological and emotional trauma, forcing some of them to leave the university.
Though the attention of authorities was drawn to the alleged misconduct of the final year student, Benjamin Ofoe, who served as a Students’ Representative Council (SRC) executive, no disciplinary action was taken.
The modus operandi of master Ofoe was that all level 100 and 200 female students, received Whatsapp messages which invited them to join ‘Hook Up’, a dating network on campus. The messages promised the students rich, White partners.
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New entrants were required to send nude pictures and videos to an unidentified person via a Tigo, Vodafone or MTN number to facilitate the process.
The unsuspecting students, after sending the nude materials later received threatening messages from different lines, asking them to pay between GH¢800.00 and GH¢4,300.00.
They were also asked to have sex with the anonymous caller or risk having their pictures and videos put in the public domain.
“He asked me to come and meet him so that we will go to a hotel and have sex and I told him that I can’t do that,” one of the victims said.
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The victim said “he contacts you and pretends to be a White man, and then ask for the pictures, then he tells you to send money or else he will distribute your nude pictures.
“It has affected my life very much because it happened at home. When I came to school in the next semester, anytime someone approached me, I felt like the person was staring at me too much. It caused that kind of social fear. I was scared of everyone.”
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The story of a 20-year-old victim (name withheld) was different. Unlike others, she did not send her nude pictures and videos as advertised.
She said she was asleep in her hostel when the suspect, who supposedly, was on a visit to a colleague, took undue advantage to take pictures and videos of her.
According to her, the suspect pestered her to transfer money to him, a situation which left her stressed up. Even some of her colleagues could not help but weep for her.
A former Women’s Commissioner,Ms Janat Issifu, who blamed university authorities for lack of action, summarised it all:
“With the lady’s case, the sad part of it is that she didn’t send her nude pictures out. Actually, she was sleeping and excuse me to say she didn’t watch herself so she was sleeping carelessly in her room. Someone entered the room and took a picture of her and used that picture to blackmail her,” she narrated.
She has since changed school, citing insecurity and lack of action by the university authorities.
“The day I saw her, I was very very sad because I saw her when she came to level 100. At that time, I was the Women’s Commissioner. She was a very beautiful lady, going on with academic life; everything was perfect. And later I saw her sick . It was so sad. That day I cried,” she lamented.
Though that particular case was brought to the attention of the university authorities, little was done to solve the problem.
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Nhyira News sources say though sanctions were recommended against master Ofoe about three years ago, nothing was done about it.
Another victim, a 20-year-old mustered courage and reported the matter to the Sunyani District Police Command.
The police report followed the distribution of her nude pictures and video to some students. The suspect is also said to have demanded GH¢4,300.00 from her.
“Actually, he’s called Benjamin Ofoe. He asked me to pay GH¢4,300.00 and I told him I don’t have that kind of money. Then he said I should sell my laptop and mobile phone so I will give him the money. I said okay, but I didn’t give him the money.”
Police investigations led to retrieval of two SIM cards, one bearing a Tigo number the suspect allegedly used to distribute nude pictures and videos of the complainants.
“During interrogation and caution statement, the accused person denied the offences. Later, the accused person led police to his place of abode located around Zinko Area/Sunyani. A search was conducted in his room where two Sim Cards were found in the said room, one bearing the said MTN number 0552878230 onto which the complainant sent her nude pictures and videos to the unidentified person and the other bearing Tigo number 0270625265 that was used to distribute the nude pictures and videos to the complainants, the two students,” the Sunyani District Commander, DSP Franklin Kramoh said.
DSP Kramoh said the suspect confessed to the offence: “At this stage, accused person then confessed to the offence.”
One of the victims, later told Nhyira News she was happy to have blown the suspect’ s cover.
Master Ofoe denied knowledge of circulation of the nude pictures and videos.
“I don’t have any idea of circulation of any nude picture or whatsoever, ” he said.
He later accused university authorities of hiding behind fund misappropriation war he started against the SRC to victimise him.
He, however, confirmed having been arrested in March, while the alleged misappropriation occurred in June, last year.
“For me I don’t want to draw any link but the thing is that you [University] think you have an issue you want to pursue and so you ask the police to help you. I don’t have any problem,”he insisted.
The SRC is blaming university authorities for the inaction after it received several complaints from the victims.
In a letter dated March 7, 2019 and addressed to the Vice Chancellor, the SRC expressed worry over authorities’ failure to act.
“We fear that if there’s no punitive action meted out to this boy, virtually it serves bad precedent for discipline in the school. We the SRC are not comfortable with the fact that nothing has been done to this gentleman and we feel that there should be an action to serve as deterrent,”SRC president, Yeboah Murdock noted.
University authorities, however, say they have done their best despite what they described as impediments put in their way by the suspect.
University Relations Officer, Mr Appiah Kubi said master Ofoe put impediments in the way of university authorities in their attempt to act.
According to him, the accused student, who had then been arraigned at the Sunyani District Court “B” brought an interlocutory injunction over what he described as ‘double jeopardy.’
Source: Ghana I Nhyira FM I Ohemeng Tawiah I ohemengtawiah@gmail.com
