UNICAL Professor Jailed 5 Years for Sexual Harassment

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday sentenced Professor Cyril Ndifon, the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), to five years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine after finding him guilty of sexual harassment. The landmark judgment concludes a high-profile case prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Justice James Omotosho, delivering the verdict, held that the ICPC successfully proved the evidence in the first two counts of the amended charge against Ndifon beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge sentenced the professor to a two-year jail term in count one and a five-year term in count two, ordering that the sentences must run concurrently, meaning Ndifon will spend a total of five years in prison.

The central accusations in counts one and two related to the professor’s abuse of office to sexually harass female students. The prosecution presented evidence that Ndifon, while serving as the Dean, asked a female Diploma student, identified as TKJ and who served as the star witness, to send him “pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs of herself” via WhatsApp chats. Furthermore, he was also accused of having, on different occasions, asked TKJ to perform an immoral act, specifically requesting “a blow job” as an exchange for her gaining admission into the university to study law.

In his testimony, Justice Omotosho observed that Ndifon was unable to successfully controvert the prosecution’s evidence that he unduly pressured TKJ to comply with his demands. The judge stated that the victim was clearly desirous of being admitted into the university, and the professor, as the Dean overseeing the diploma course, was in a position of distinct advantage to facilitate her entry.

Justice Omotosho concluded, “The instances of undue advantage are so much. The 1st defendant abused his office.”

The court, however, discharged and acquitted Sunny Anyanwu, who was initially a member of Ndifon’s defense team and was later joined in the amended charge as the second defendant. Anyanwu had faced charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice by allegedly calling the star witness on her mobile phone during the pendency of the charge to threaten her. Justice Omotosho ruled that the anti-corruption commission was unable to link the offenses in counts three and four, which implicated Anyanwu, to the co-defendant with sufficient proof.

The case, which began with the professor as the sole defendant, drew wide attention after the allegations emerged. The successful prosecution and subsequent sentencing send a powerful message regarding accountability for sexual harassment and the abuse of power within Nigeria’s higher educational institutions.