The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Prof. Cyril Ndifon, the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), to five years in prison without the option of a fine.
Delivering the judgment, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had proven beyond reasonable doubt the charges in counts one and two against Ndifon. The court ordered the two-year sentence for count one and five-year sentence for count two to run concurrently.
Sunny Anyanwu, Ndifon’s former lawyer, was acquitted of all charges. The judge noted that the ICPC failed to establish Anyanwu’s involvement in counts three and four, which alleged attempts to obstruct justice. Anyanwu had been accused of calling a key witness, identified as TKJ, to dissuade her from cooperating with the investigation.
The charges stemmed from allegations that Ndifon sexually harassed female students while serving as Dean. He was accused of pressuring TKJ to send indecent images via WhatsApp and demanding sexual favours in exchange for admission into the law programme. The ICPC said Ndifon exploited his position to harass multiple female students.
The defendants’ no-case submission was dismissed by the court. Ndifon testified in his own defence, supported by a forensic analyst from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
In his judgment, Justice Omotosho said Ndifon abused his office and exerted undue pressure on the student. He described the professor as “not a witness of truth” and condemned his actions as “disgraceful” and “predatory.”
Although Anyanwu was acquitted, the judge criticized his conduct as unprofessional, noting the phone call to the witness occurred before the official investigation. The court emphasized that the sentence serves as a warning to public officers who exploit their positions to take advantage of women.
