Professor Cyril Ndifon, the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), has taken the stand to defend himself against allegations of sexual harassment. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) charged Prof. Ndifon with four counts, including sexual harassment and attempts to obstruct justice.
During his testimony at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Prof. Ndifon stated that both the former Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, and former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had previously exonerated him after a thorough review of the case. According to him, “The AGF reviewed and said I had no case to answer.”
The allegations stem from claims that Ndifon, as Dean, asked a female Diploma student to send explicit photos of herself via WhatsApp. His lawyer, Joe Agi, SAN, led his defense while the ICPC counsel maintained its objections to certain pieces of evidence.
Prof. Ndifon recounted the timeline of the case, starting from an accusation in 2015 where a student alleged he raped her. He claimed he was exonerated during multiple police investigations and through reviews by the AGF and Cross River State Attorney-General.
The ICPC also joined Ndifon’s lawyer, Sunny Anyanwu, in the case, alleging that Anyanwu threatened a prosecution witness during the trial. Both men have pleaded not guilty and were granted bail earlier this year.
Prof. Ndifon accused one of the prosecution team members, Adekunle Sogunle, of bias, alleging a personal interest in the case. He presented evidence, including a police report, court records, and photographs of his faculty’s support for him after the initial accusations. These documents were admitted as exhibits despite objections from the ICPC counsel.
The trial will continue on January 14, 2025.
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