Court jails suspended UNICAL Law Dean, Prof. Ndifon, five years for sexual harassment

By Johnson Arua

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’ imprisonment for sexually harassing female students under his supervision.

Justice James Omotoso, delivering judgment on Monday, November 17, 2025, found Ndifon guilty on counts one and two of the charge filed against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The court imposed a two-year sentence on the first count and five years on the second, both to run concurrently. No option of fine was provided.

Justice Omotoso held that the ICPC had proven the first two counts beyond reasonable doubt, establishing that Ndifon exploited his position as Dean to pressure a Diploma student, identified as TKJ, into sending him explicit photos via WhatsApp and performing sexual acts in exchange for admission assistance.

However, the court discharged and acquitted Ndifon’s co-defendant, lawyer Sunny Anyanwu, who had been added to the amended charge dated January 19, 2024.

The ICPC had accused Anyanwu of attempting to obstruct justice by contacting the key witness and urging her not to cooperate with investigators. But the Judge ruled that the prosecution failed to establish any criminal link, noting that the call occurred months before investigations began.

The ICPC originally arraigned only Ndifon for sexual harassment, but later added Anyanwu as the second defendant on allegations of interference with the probe. Counts three and four, which related to obstruction of justice, were not proven against him.

The prosecution closed its case on February 14, 2024, after calling four witnesses, including forensic analyst Bwaigu Fungo. The defendants thereafter filed a no-case submission, which the court dismissed on March 6, 2024.

Ndifon testified in his own defence, and the second defence witness was forensic analyst Babagana Mingali from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). But Justice Omotoso held that Ndifon’s testimony lacked credibility and failed to rebut the evidence presented by the prosecution.

In sentencing the former Dean, Justice Omotoso described his conduct as disgraceful and unbecoming of a public officer entrusted with the welfare of students. He stressed that the punishment was necessary to deter similar abuse of authority within academic institutions.

Although the court noted that Ndifon was a first-time offender, it maintained that the gravity of the offences required a firm sentence.