The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)’s star witness, TKJ (not real name), on Tuesday, stated that Prof. Cyril Ndifon, the suspended Dean of Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), pressurised her to trade her virginity in exchange for an admission into the institution.
TKJ, who is the ICPC’s 2nd prosecution witness (PW2), told Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court, Abuja, this while being led in evidence by the commission’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha.
She narrated that she came in contact with Ndifon during her Diploma 1 Programme through some senior students who were posting condolence messages to the lecturer over the death of his mother.
The PW2 said on returning to school, Ndifon called her to inquire if she was back, which she answered in affirmative.
However, the witness further told the court that while in his office, the embattled professor held her waist while she tried to free herself from him.
The witness also told the court that the don also asked her to visit him on a public holiday, and begged her to give him “a blow job” after confirming she was on her menstrual cycle.
She said: “On a public holiday, he asked me to come to his office.
He pulled his trousers. I told him to stop and that I was on my period (menstruation). He asked ‘won’t I give him my virginity again’?
I said I was on my period. He put his hand inside my pad. He asked when my period would finish and asked me to sit down.
He brought out his manhood and asked that I give him a blow job. I told him I can’t. He said I shouldn’t embarrass him.
He put his manhood back inside his trousers and told me to leave his office.
When I was about leaving, I begged him that I was sorry.
That day, I was not on my period; I just had to wear the pad because of the advances he had been making at me.
I went back to WhatsApp to apologise and told him I was sorry. He was my only hope for the admission, something I had looked for for years.”
According to the witness, after the incident, the suspended dean began pressuring her for nude videos.
She said that despite the sexual harassment protests on campus, the suspended dean requested more nude photographs from her.
TKJ also told the court that while the University panel probe was ongoing, he came to the front of her hostel in a tinted glass car.
The witness said she joined him in the car and was having a discussion when Ndifon tried to put his hand inside her trousers.
The PW2 said that after stopping him from doing that, he brought out his manhood and forcefully put it in her mouth.
She said Ndifon later transferred N3000 into her account to treat herself after requesting for the account details.
After giving her evidence, the prosecution counsel sought to tender the N3000 bank receipt sent to the witness as evidence and it was admitted as exhibit after Ndifon’s lawyer, Joe Agi, SAN, withdrew his objection.
Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter until Feb. 7 for continuation.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ndifon was, on Jan. 25, re-arraigned alongside Sunny Anyanwu as 1st and 2nd defendants on an amended four-count charge bordering on alleged sexual harassment and attempt to perverse the cause of justice.
Anyanwu, who is one of the lawyers in the defence, was joined in the amended charge filed on Jan. 22 by the ICPC on allegation that he called one of the prosecution witnesses on her mobile telephone during the pendency of the charge against Ndifon to threaten her.
