Reports from the media in Nigeria indicate that Prof Boniface Igbeneghu of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) who was recently secretly videoed in a BBC documentary soliciting sexual intimacy from an undercover journalist who posed as a 17-year-old minor seeking admission in the school, has attempted committing suicide.

The pastor, who has been disowned by his Foursquare Gospel Church following the exposé, was found unresponsive on Tuesday on the floor foaming at the mouth after allegedly drinking rat poison to ostensibly commit suicide.

A statement issued by the church on Monday said: “The attention of the leadership of The Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria has been drawn to a video clip trending on social media platforms titled ‘Sex for grades: Undercover in West Africa Universities – BBC News wherein a lecturer in University of Lagos named Dr Boniface Igbeneghu, also described as a pastor in Foursquare Gospel Church, was allegedly involved in sexual misconduct with some female students of the university.

“The general public is hereby informed that as a holiness and Bible-believing church, we do not condone such heinous and unscriptural act among our ministers."

“We totally dissociate ourselves from the purported conduct of Dr Igbeneghu and promise to take appropriate measure as soon as the ongoing investigation is concluded.

“Meanwhile, the pastor in question has been asked to step down from all ministerial assignments,'' the church announced in the release signed by its National Secretary, Rev. Ikechukwu Ugbaja.

The Nigerian media, including Herald.ng, Naijaloaded.com.ng, Nairaland.com and Jivenaija.com, reported on Tuesday that Prof Igbeneghu, who was rushed to the Reddington Hospital, has been suffering intense trolling on social media since BBC Africa Eye aired the exposé on Monday, 7 October 2019.

The undercover work, led by journalist Kiki Mordi, also busted two lecturers at the University of Ghana, Legon, in Accra.

They are Prof Ransford Gyampo, who has threatened to sue the BBC, and Dr Paul Butakor, who has also denied exchanging grades for sexual favours with any student of the University of Ghana.