Court orders remand of law professor in prison over sexual assault of female students
The embattled and suspended dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar Prof Cyril Ndifon has been ordered to be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja over alleged sexual assault on female students of the institution.
Penpushing reports that he is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which filed a four-count charge against the professor in October.
The Professor of Law in count one,was alleged to have, between June and September 2023, used his office and position to gratify himself by soliciting for nude photographs and videos from a year 2 Diploma female student of the university through WhatsApp chats on his telephone number.
Penpushing further reports that the agency said the offence is punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and in count two, he was alleged to have corruptly requested nude photographs and videos from a 400 level female student of the Faculty of Law with the plan of changing her project supervisor to himself in order to guarantee favourable grades for her, contrary to and punishable under Section 8(1)(a) (il) of the agency’s Act.
The count three, stated that he was alleged to have corruptly requested to see nude photographs of a 16-year-old prospective post-UTME female student, as an inducement to consider her for admission into the Faculty of Law contrary to and punishable under Section 18(d) of the Act.
Penpushing also reports that Ndifon was accused, in count four, of causing a female student to send pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs of herself to him through WhatsApp chats on his telephone number between May and September 2023, an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition & Prevention) Act, 2015
The prosecuting agency alleged that the university teacher committed the offences while serving as a public officer charged with responsibility for the certification of students as fit in learning and character as a prerequisite for the award of a Bachelor’s degree in Law and admission into the Nigeria Law School.
The accusef pleaded not guilty to all the four-count charge read to him when he appeared before the court on Monday, and had earlier claimed that some of his colleagues uncomfortable with his style of leadership manipulated the students against him,but to this an investigation panel set up by the university indicted him of sexual assault.
Penpushing reports that Efut, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN), prayed the court to admit his client to bail, particularly on health grounds, and NNdifon while corrobating his lawyer’s claimed told the court that as at the time of his arraignment he was expected to undergo an eye surgery on Glaucoma.
The accused lawyer, told the court that it was on the basis of his health condition that the magistrate court in Calabar admitted his client to bail on 27 October, 2023, after being in detention for about 22 days,arguing that based on the medical report, the eye surgery was expected to be carried out on 11 January.
Penpushing further reports that the lawyer of the prosecuting agency Osuobeni Akponimisingha, opposed the application for bail,stressing that on receipt of the process, the commission filed a counter affidavit dated and filed on 5 January
The lawyer alleged that one of the counsels to Mr Ndifon threatened the commission’s star witness on phone and said they were in possession of the call logs, arguing that one of the cardinal reasons for granting bail was the assurance that a defendant would not interfere with the case.
Penpushing also reports that he said that the name of the lawyer who threatened the ICPC witness was in the bail application filed by Efut and that he was also at the court sitting.
The judge, Justice James Omotosho, consequently, asked the lawyer to come forward for identification which he did and told the court that his name is Sunny Anyanwu
Penpushing reports that following the judge’s enquiry during the hearing on Monday, Anyanwu accepted to respond to the allegation by filing an affidavit of facts and admitted calling one Tochi Kanu on the phone, but said the person he called was different from the names of the four witnesses in the charge and proof of evidence.
The judge asked him about his interest in the matter, and in response said Ndifon was his lecturer and that he came as counsel to defend him or support the defence.
Penpushing further reports that the judge, Mr Omotosho then asked Akponimisingha the name of the person who was alleged to have been called,but replied that the nameis Tochi Kanu Jane
Penpushing also reports that Akponimisingha, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) lawyer, told the court that Ndifon’s medical report was served on the commission late and that they were still verifying its genuineness,and thereafter the judge ordered that Ndifon be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre.
Meanwhile the judge adjourned the matter until 10 January for a hearing of the bail application and to enable Anyanwu to file his affidavit of facts
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