November 18, (THEWILL) — The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Professor Cyril Ndifon, to five years in prison without an option of fine.
Justice James Omotosho, in a ruling on Monday, convicted Ndifon of two-count charge bordering on sexual harassment.
The court ordered a two-year sentence for count one and a five-year sentence for count two, to run concurrently.
The ICPC had filed an amended four-count charge on January 19, 2024, initially naming Ndifon as the sole defendant, but later including his former lawyer, Sunny Anyanwu, in two of the counts.
Counts one and two accused Ndifon of sexually harassing students, including a female Diploma student identified as TKJ, whom he allegedly pressured via WhatsApp to send explicit images and perform sexual acts in exchange for admission into the law programme.
While Ndifon was convicted on the first two counts, Justice Omotosho discharged and acquitted Anyanwu, finding that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement in counts three and four, which concerned attempts to influence the course of justice.
The court, however, condemned Anyanwu’s unprofessional conduct for contacting the star witness during the pendency of the case.
The judge criticised Ndifon’s behaviour as an abuse of office, noting: “The first defendant abused his office. Instances of undue advantage are so much. He turned himself into a sexual predator, and his actions are a disgrace to the community of learned persons.”
Ndifon had testified in his defence and was supported by CSP Babagana Mingali, a forensic analyst from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Despite their testimonies and a no-case submission, the court found the evidence against Ndifon compelling.
Justice Omotosho emphasised that the sentence serves both as punishment and a warning to public officials who exploit their positions to take undue advantage over female subordinates or students.
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