University of Calabar Panel Finds Suspended Dean Guilty of Gross Misconduct Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations
The University of Calabar probe panel, investigating allegations of sexual harassment by the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, has determined him guilty of gross misconduct. In their report, the panel found that Prof. Ndifon used his position to intimidate and seek sexual favors from female students while also engaging in students' exploitation.
Despite his claims that the accusations were politically motivated, the university suspended him and formed the panel led by Prof. Florence Obi. The panel recommends that Prof. Ndifon face the university's Disciplinary Committee, refund funds collected for a nonexistent Law Journal, and rectify issues within the Faculty of Law.
The probe panel set up by the University of Calabar to investigate allegations of sexual harassment of female students by the suspended Dean of the school’s Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Cyril Ndifon, has found the senior lecturer guilty of gross misconduct.
In the report of the panel set up to investigate alleged misconduct, sexual harassment and abuse of office levelled against Prof. Ndifon, obtained by SaharaReporters on Sunday, it “established that the suspended Dean, Prof. Cyril Osim Ndifon was using his official position to both intimidate and bargain for sexual favour from female students in the Faculty of Law”.
It also “established that the suspended Dean had been involved in students’ exploitation”.
“Elaborately, he had been perpetrating cruelty against students by forestalling the graduation of especially some female students at the appropriate time by withholding and refusing to release their results and threatening some that they would never graduate from the Faculty or go to the law school,” the panel stated in the report.
The school’s vice-chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, constituted the administrative panel to thoroughly investigate the allegations against Ndifon.
The members of the panel comprised Prof. Dorothy Oluwagbemi-Jacob – Chairperson; Dr. Brenda Akpan (Executive Director, Gender Development) – Member; Prof. Patrick Egaga (Director SERVICOM) – Member; Dr. Tony Eyang (Dean Students Affairs) – Member; Prof. Ayodeji T. Owolabi (Anti-Corruption and Transparency) – Member; Prof. Elizabeth Akpama (University Counselor)- Member and Barr. Gabriel O. Orok – Secretary.
The Observers are Barr. Ann A. Awah (International Federation of Female Lawyers); SP Philomina Modor (Nigerian Police Commission, Gender Unit); Ugboma, Juliet (Public Complaints Commission); Godwin Otang; Barr (Dr.) Sam Eboh (Representative, University of Calabar Alumni) and Ugbe, Emmanuella Ushiekpe (Chief Judge of Malabo High Court).
The terms of reference given to the panel include “To thoroughly investigate cases of sexual harassment and molestation levelled against the suspended Dean of Law by female students and others who may have felt victimized; To investigate the alleged abuse of office, extortion and high-handedness by the suspended Dean; To establish the alleged serial violations of the University rules and regulations and To investigate the allegation that majority of the suspended Dean’s Supervisees and their Course Representatives were female students”.
The panel relied on oral, and written submissions and physical and virtual participation from victims, fellow lecturers including professors and the President of the Law Students Association (LAWSAN) of the University of Calabar, Obi Benedict Otu.
According to the report, the panel further established that the “suspended Dean was compelling the law students to pay for a Faculty Journal that was non-existent for three consecutive academic sessions”.
Therefore, the panel recommended that the “suspended Dean of law should face the statutory Disciplinary Committee of the University of Calabar for appropriate sanctions applicable to acts of both Major and Gross – misconduct”.
“The panel makes this recommendation in view of Prof. Ndifon’s antecedents in the Faculty of Law, which from the testimonies given by both staff and students are in clear violations of the extant rules and regulations governing the conditions of service of staff of the University of Calabar.
“He has used his position as a lecturer and his position as Dean of the Faculty of Law for non-edifying purposes, frustrating, traumatizing and jeopardizing the future of some of the students, as well as the lecturers,” the report stated.
The panel also recommended as follows: “The suspended Dean should be made to refund over three million naira (N3m) realized from the payments made by the law students for the Law Journal which he neither published nor gave to the students.
“That Comfort Jumbo be given another supplementary examination since the suspended Dean collected her scripts for Law of Evidence, law of Equity and Land law.
“That the acting Dean should without delay arrange internal defense for Barrister Anne Eruegi Agi to defend her Ph.D and encourage same to put in for promotion in the next promotion exercise.
“That the university should make a rule to stop lecturers from asking students to come and see them at odd (after official) hours and if need be, encourage the culture of not locking their offices when consulting with students. This is consistent with global best practice.
“The former accountant of the Faculty of Law, Mrs. Aniekan Udeme Ekwere should be reprimanded for imposing N1000/2000 on the students for stamping clearance receipts.
“The former Faculty Officer, Mr. Robert Omang should be cautioned for not seeking approval for the N500 he charged the students though such was meant to meet a need in the Faculty.
“The university should bend backwards so as to come to the aid of some law students who have been roaming around because of the lapses in the Faculty of Law over the years. There should be a call for such to come for supplementary examinations or mop up. This will go a long way to help the University gain the confidence among stakeholders and prove to the wider society that the University cares and is not indifferent.
“Further steps should be taken to clean up the mess in the Faculty of Law. The seeds of discord planted over the years need to be uprooted. The culture of borderization seems to be entrenched both among staff and students. Such is unhealthy for academic standards, discipline and merit.
“The younger academics in the Faculty therefore, need re-orientation to the noble ideals and values the University system stands for. This can be achieved if they are willing to make conscious efforts to work on some of the barriers that stand in the way of critical thinking such as egocentrism and sociocentrism. It is indeed possible with God on the side of the University for old things to pass away and for everything to become new in the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Calabar.”
In September, Uju Kennedy, the Minister of Women Affairs, was caught on tape threatening to jail a female law student at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) who accused the now-suspended dean of the law faculty, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, of sexual harassment.
In August, a group of female students studying law at UNICAL, staged a protest on campus grounds after they claimed they were targets of sexual harassment by Ndifon. Following the protests, Document Women spoke to some of the students to get their accounts.
Document Women also logged a brief timeline of the outcome following his first indictment, spanning eight years. Ndifon was first indicted on 29 August 2015 for allegedly assaulting a student in his office while she was retaking a test. Ndifon was suspended after the protest and an investigation panel was formed to hear testimony from him and his alleged victims.