The Chaplain of All Saints’ Chapel at the University of Benin, Venerable Egbenusi Osazee David, has resigned as chairman of the Cult Renunciation, Reconciliation, Reformation, Rehabilitation and Inter-Faith Committee (CR4IC), citing alleged lack of institutional support and rising insecurity on campus.
Egbenusi announced his resignation in a letter dated May 10, 2026, addressed to the Vice-Chancellor of the university.
His decision followed the killing of a part-time student of the university who was reportedly shot dead on campus by suspected cult members on Sunday, an incident that sparked outrage among students and members of the public.
In the resignation letter, the cleric said proposals submitted by the committee to tackle cultism and restore peace within the institution were ignored by the university management.
“Since my appointment as Chairman of the CR4IC, I have submitted proposals aimed at advancing the committee’s mandate of curbing cultism, promoting reconciliation, and restoring peace within this institution,” he stated.
“To date, those proposals have not received the institutional response or implementation necessary for the committee to function with any meaningful effect.”
Egbenusi further alleged that after forwarding a video clip of the latest attack to the Vice-Chancellor, his concerns were treated with levity.
He also claimed that the Vice-Chancellor threatened to remove him from office following his complaints, describing the alleged threat as “unwarranted, disproportionate, and inconsistent,” adding that it amounted to an assault on the dignity of the chaplain’s office.
“For the foregoing reasons, I hereby resign the chairmanship of the CR4IC with immediate effect,” he wrote.
The cleric, however, maintained that his resignation would not affect the commitment of the chapel and chaplaincy to the university community.
“We shall continue to serve, to pray, to advocate, and to speak truth to power, whenever truth is demanded and whatever that witness may cost. Threats do not silence a prophetic conscience. They only clarify it,” he added.
Reacting in a statement, the university management confirmed that it had accepted Egbenusi’s resignation, while accusing him of underperforming in his role as chairman of the committee.
The institution’s spokesperson, Benedicta Ehanire, described the cleric’s resignation letter as hostile and made in bad faith.
According to the university management, Egbenusi had “literally not functioned effectively” as chairman of the CR4IC and was “persistently posting clips of violence” as an excuse for the committee’s failure.
The university also alleged that the chaplain adopted a belligerent stance towards management after a decision requiring electricity consumers on campus to pay charges reflective of their usage.
“The last straw was the persistent posting of clips of violence outside the University’s campus by the Venerable to the Vice Chancellor,” the statement noted.
“This was seen as deliberate attempt at seeking attention and excuse for the CRC4 Committee’s leadership failure.”
