Cyril Ndifon, the suspended dean of the Law Faculty at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), has denied accusations of sexual harassment, claiming that photos extracted from his phone were manipulated.
Ndifon made this assertion in a Federal High Court session on Tuesday, as he testified in his defense during the ongoing trial.
The alleged harassment, for which Ndifon is facing charges, centers on claims that he requested explicit photographs from a female student identified as TKJ. However, during his testimony, Ndifon argued that the images presented in court were edited.
“The pictures in question were not from my phone,” Ndifon told Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court. “Looking at slide 661, this document has been edited. I haven’t gone through the whole document, so I don’t know which other part was edited. The ICPC did not invite me to where they were doing the extraction, and I haven’t been told who made the complaint to ICPC.”
Ndifon further claimed that the images and WhatsApp conversations presented as evidence in the trial did not include his face or that of the alleged victim, TKJ. He also clarified that the phone used in the case was not the one he had communicated with TKJ on, explaining, “This (Oppo phone) is not the phone I used to chat with her. She has another number which she used to chat with me.”
The defense also raised concerns about the credibility of the investigation. Ndifon pointed out that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had admitted in court that they did not examine TKJ’s phone to verify the authenticity of the extracted images.
When asked about ‘Exhibit H,’ which allegedly contained explicit pictures and chats exchanged between him and TKJ, Ndifon stated, “I did not send any nude photographs, nor did I solicit for any.” He also emphasized that the charges against him were based on events that occurred after he had already been removed from his position as the dean of the law faculty.
He described his shock that TKJ, who had been admitted to the Law Faculty despite not meeting the necessary qualifications, would testify against him. “The allegation against me occurred when I was no longer in the faculty of law, so she cannot say I asked for oral sex or any other advances,” Ndifon insisted.
Ndifon also shed light on his interactions with TKJ’s uncle, revealing that the uncle had approached him for help recovering a payment made to secure TKJ’s admission into the faculty. “Her uncle then asked me to help recover the money since admission had closed, but I felt insulted and refused to respond,” Ndifon explained.
In response, the prosecution’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, cross-examined Ndifon, probing further into the accusations.
The trial continues with Ndifon facing charges of sexual harassment and an attempt to pervert the course of justice, after being re-arraigned by the ICPC on January 25, 2024. The commission claims that Ndifon, while serving as dean, requested inappropriate photographs from TKJ through WhatsApp.
Justice Omotosho has adjourned the case to February 12 and 13, 2024, for the continuation of proceedings.
