The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Prof. Cyril Ndifon, suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), to five years in prison without the option of a fine.
Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment on Monday, ruling that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had proven the charges in counts one and two beyond a reasonable doubt. Ndifon received a two-year sentence for count one and five years for count two, to run concurrently.
The court acquitted Sunny Anyanwu, Ndifon’s former lawyer, of all charges, noting that the ICPC failed to link him to counts three and four.
The case arose from allegations that Ndifon sexually harassed female students while serving as Dean. He reportedly pressured a female diploma student, identified as TKJ, to send explicit images via WhatsApp and demanded sexual favors in exchange for admission into the law program.
Count four of the amended charge accused both Ndifon and Anyanwu of attempting to influence the course of justice, with Anyanwu allegedly contacting the star witness to dissuade her cooperation with investigators.
During the trial, Ndifon and a forensic analyst testified in their defense, but the court found the evidence against him credible and noted that he abused his position as Dean to gain undue advantage over students. Justice Omotosho described Ndifon as untruthful and condemned his actions as a disgrace to the legal academic community.
The judge emphasized that the ruling serves as a deterrent to public officers who exploit their positions, particularly in matters involving sexual misconduct.
The court’s judgment aims to protect students and uphold accountability in public institutions.
