More victims of alleged sexual harassment on students by the Dean of Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Cyril Ndifon have taken to the social media to narrate their ordeals at the hands of the lecturer.
Law students, mostly females led by President of the Law Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), UNICAL branch, Benedict Otu, had on Monday morning protested against alleged sexual abuses, and corrupt practices by the Dean.
Following the protest, negative testimonies of his alleged escapade with students have continued to trend on social media.
One of such came from a mother of his alleged victim, Prof. Sinem Abasi Ekong from the University of Uyo, who accused Ndifon of forcefully having sex with her daughter twice in his office.
In the statement titled, “How Prof. Cyril Ndifon Forcefully Had Sex with My Daughter Twice in His Office”, Prof. Sinem Abasi Ekong, alleged: “It was on August 29, a Saturday. I got an anonymous call from the Airport Police Station in Calabar. The caller sought to know if I was the mother of (name withheld) and I said yes. He said my daughter was giving a statement at the police station. I exclaimed because the 20-year-old girl had never visited the police station before let alone give a statement. The caller said she was crying when a Good Samaritan saw her, asked her some questions and eventually brought her to the station. I immediately had to call my in-law in Calabar, because we are based in Akwa Ibom State, who now had to go to the station to meet with her.
“A 70-year-old man forcefully having sex with a 20-year-old girl, my daughter, who is the pride of the family; this is wicked. The pains of us, the parents, whose daughters he has molested, will haunt him forever and ever.”
Another touching testimony from a former law student, now a lawyer and visual artist based in Abuja, Nelly Idagba, alleged she was a survivor, who narrowly escaped his harassment without giving in.
Idagba said: “I was just turning 18 when I got into his class in year two. He taught Legal Methods at the University of Calabar. He made ‘Legal Method’ seem like a Thesis in Harvard University.
“I recalled that fateful day after giving his lectures, he dropped his books on my desk and asked me to carry them and follow him to his office. I innocently did, but that was the beginning of my tragedy with him until I graduated from the faculty with pains and push.
“Again, I reported Prof. Ndifon to the then Dean of the Faculty, to some of his fellow lecturers, to all and sundry, yet I carried my heavy cross like a leper.
“But thanks to the younger generation of law students in Calabar for standing up to what I (we) couldn’t. Fish these Not Distinguished men and women out of the system before it rubs off on us all,” she noted.
Also, a group, TrueMyVoice Community, yesterday, started a movement through Change.org community petition, seeking for change and justice in an environment where learning and safety should be paramount.
Already, the petition, which had garnered 494 signatories, called for an immediate and transparent investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment and gender-based misconduct involving faculty members, with a specific focus on accusations against Prof. Ndifon.
It also sought for establishment of a robust system to protect students from threats and intimidation when they report misconduct, implement whistleblower safeguards to encourage students to come forward without fear of retaliation, as well as a “Safe School Campaign” that educates students, faculty, and staff about sexual harassment prevention, survivor support, and reporting mechanisms to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment.
Meanwhile, the management of UNICAL, yesterday, suspended Prof. Ndifon for alleged violation of the provisions of the extant laws and policies of the institution.
The suspension conveyed in a letter signed by the University Registrar, Gabriel Egbe takes effect from August 17.
According to the letter, the suspension came on the heels of the Dean’s response to a query earlier issued to him by the University Management which the Vice Chancellor was dissatisfied with.
Dissatisfied with his response, the Vice Chancellor, according to the letter, has relieved Ndifon of his position as Dean and placed him on suspension while the matter is referred to a panel that will be set-up to investigate the allegations levelled against him.
Recall that in 2015, a female student also accused Prof. Ndifon of sexual assault. He was suspended, but later cleared of the allegations. The institution recalled him to his position as Dean in 2017.
Also, Ndifon in a recent publication debunked allegation of high handedness and sexual harassment, levelled against him by some students of the Faculty, saying the protest was masterminded by some persons in the faculty, who had sworn to do everything possible to pull him down.
.The Guardian