By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka has exonerated its staff member of being involved in a viral video of a university personnel caught in an inappropriate behavior.

Debunking what it cited as a misleading report of sex scandal in the university in a statement on Thursday, the Director, Information and Public Relation (DIPR) of the university, Alloy Attah, said it has been established that the incident did not happen at UNIZIK and is also not a staff of the institution.

The statement partly reads: “The attention of the Management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has been drawn to a viral video and news reports circulating online about a lecturer erroneously identified as a staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University reportedly caught in an inappropriate behavior with a student within a university premises.

“For the records, no staff or student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University is connected in any way to the said incident.

“We wish to categorically state that the report is not only false but misleading.

“Nnamdi Azikiwe University upholds the highest standards of professional conduct and discipline among its staff and students.

“Staff members of the university are guided by strong ethics while the University management also has zero tolerance for students’ exploitation under any guise. We will not be associated too with false information that damages the reputation of our institution.

“The advent of citizen journalism, social media and the rush to break news first and also gain traffic has fueled misinformation, disinformation and spread of outright falsehood. However, digital communication has also made it much easier to balance news reports and fact check certain information before public dissemination.”

The institution urged members of the public, media houses, and online platforms to desist from spreading unverified information and to take immediate steps to retract and correct the publication.

UNIZIK also encouraged journalists to always verify facts with the appropriate authorities before publication, adding that the university practices an open door approach to information and communication.