Nigerian law professor sentenced to five years in prison for sesksual harassment

 

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a suspended Nigerian law professor to five years in prison for s. exually harassing his female students, in a judgment seen as a landmark in the fight against abuse in higher education.

Prof. Cyril Ndifon, former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), was found guilty on two of four counts brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Delivering judgment on Monday, presiding judge Justice James Omotosho held that prosecutors had proved their case on s. exual harassment and related offences, including elements of cybercrime and attempts to obstruct justice.

Mr Ndifon was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on count one and five years on count two, with both sentences to run concurrently.

“In final analysis, the Prosecution has successfully established counts 1 and 2 beyond a reasonable doubt against the 1st Defendant, while counts 3 and 4 were not proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Consequently, the 1st Defendant is hereby convicted of counts 1 and 2 of the charges,” the court ruled, according to the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment.

The ICPC had accused the professor of soliciting n. ude photographs and videos from his female students. Justice Omotosho described his conduct in scathing terms.

While condemning what he called the “despicable act” of the lecturer, the judge said: “The 1st Defendant has brought shame upon the Faculty of Law of the University of Calabar, the University itself, the legal profession and his family.”

He continued: “As for the 1st Defendant, it was with dismay and alarm that I read through the facts of this case as well as the oral evidence presented before the Court

“It was indeed sad that the 1st Defendant, as Dean of Law, who is supposed to be the beacon of professionalism, where young minds can learn from, turned himself into a sexual predator to destroy the minds of young ladies. His randy nature and shameful conduct instilled fear in the minds of the students in the faculty.

“The 1st Defendant kept asking for pornographic pictures and videos from these young students with the promise to help them in one way or the other.
“To make matters worse, the 1st Defendant was never remorseful but tried to blame some other irrelevant reason for his arraignment.

“The 1st Defendant has brought shame upon the Faculty of Law of the University of Calabar, the University itself, the legal profession and his family.

“He is a disgrace to the community of learned persons and must be made to pay for his atrocities, which the Court can only imagine.
“The society is better rid of the 1st Defendant and his perverted mind. I must not fail to comment on the rampant state of sexual harassment in our society, which our ladies are especially victims of in several establishments where the woman is subordinate to a man; they are usually targets of sexual harassment from randy men,” Mr Omotosho ruled.

During the trial, which followed the close of the ICPC’s case on 14 February 2024, Mr Ndifon filed a no-case submission, insisting the prosecution had not produced sufficient evidence. The court dismissed the application and ordered him to enter his defence.

He later testified on his own behalf, and a forensic analyst from the Office of the National Security Adviser, CSP Babagana Mingali, also appeared in the proceedings. Ndifon denied all allegations, but the judge held that the ICPC had proven beyond reasonable doubt that he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct toward his students.

In contrast, the court discharged and acquitted his co-defendant, lawyer Sunny Anyanwu, after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish the case against him.

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