Court Sends Suspended UNICAL Professor, Lawyer to Kuje Prison

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, ordered the remand of Prof. Cyril Ndifon, the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), in Kuje Correctional Centre.

Justice James Omotosho also ordered one of the lawyers of Ndifon, Mr Sunny Anyanwu, to be remanded in the correctional centre pending the hearing of their bail application.

Justice Omotosho gave the order after Ndifon was re-arraigned alongside Anyanwu on an amended four-count charge bordering on alleged sexual harassment and an attempt to perverse the cause of justice.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is the complainant, Ndifon and Anyanwu are 1st and 2nd defendants in the amended charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/511/2023.

In count one, Ndifon was alleged to have, between May and September 2023 while being in the employment of UNICAL as Dean of Faculty of Law, caused one Miss TKJ (not real name), a diploma student of the university, to send pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs of herself to him through his mobile telephone number: 08037066222 vide WhatsApp charts.

The offence was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition & Prevention) Act 2015.

In count three, the lawyer was alleged to have, sometime in November 2023 or thereabout, in Abuja during the pendency of the charge filed against Ndifon and on the prompting of the professor, called one of the prosecution witnesses on her mobile telephone.

Anyanwu was alleged to have threatened her not to honour the invitation of the ICPC in respect of the criminal investigation against Ndifon, which conduct he knew was intended to perverse the cause of justice.

The offence was said to be punishable under Section 182 of the Penal Code Cap. 532 Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 2006.

NAN reports that Justice Omotosho had, on Jan. 10, ordered the release of Ndifon on a temporary bail to enable him go for a glaucoma surgery.