Suspended UNICAL Dean Denies Soliciting Nude Photos In Sexual Harassment Trial
The suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Cyril Ndifon, has denied allegations that he solicited nude photographs from a student, as he testified before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Ndifon is facing trial alongside his lawyer, Samuel Anyanwu, on charges of sexual harassment, cybercrime, and attempting to pervert the course of justice, brought against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The ICPC alleged that Ndifon, while serving as Dean, asked a female diploma student, identified as TKJ, to send him explicit photographs via WhatsApp. Both Ndifon and Anyanwu pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During his testimony, Ndifon insisted that the allegations were baseless, claiming the photographs and chats allegedly extracted from an Oppo phone were edited. He also stated that the phone in question was not his primary device.
“These pictures are not from my phone. Slide 661 in Exhibit H clearly shows the document was edited. I have not gone through all the slides, but none of the pictures contain my face or TKJ’s,” Ndifon testified.
He further alleged that TKJ, who had since gained admission to the Faculty of Law despite initially being unqualified, was admitted after testifying against him.
Addressing earlier claims of his involvement in another rape case in 2015, Ndifon denied wrongdoing and noted that the matter escalated following an exam malpractice case involving the accuser.
Justice Omotosho admitted a document presented by the ICPC, despite objections from Ndifon’s counsel, and adjourned proceedings to February 12 and 13 for the continuation of cross-examination.
