Conviction of UNICAL Don: Family of victim hails judgment

The family of the 2015 survivor of sexual harassment perpetrated by the convict, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, the suspended Dean of University of Calabar (UNICAL), has hailed the court judgment.

Chief Offiong Etim made this known in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja on behalf of the family.

He said the judgment affirmed what they had always known.

Etim said they welcomed the conviction and sentencing of Ndifon to a five-year imprisonment for sexual harassment and abuse of office, without option of fine.

It would be recalled that Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on October 17, 2025 handed down the five-year jail term to the UNICAL professor.

Justice Omotosho held that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had been able to prove the evidence in counts one and two beyond reasonable doubt against Ndifon.

The judge, therefore, sentenced him to two-year jail term in count one and five-year imprisonment in count two without an option of fine, and which must run concurrently, following Ndifon’s plea for court to temper justice with mercy.

The judge, however, discharged and acquitted Sunny Anyanwu, who was earlier a member of Ndifon’s team of lawyers, of the charges against him.

Reacting, Etim said: “This judgment, though inadequate compared to Ndifon’s ATROCITIES, at least brings a measure of closure to a deeply painful journey that began in 2015 when our daughter courageously spoke out where others were intimidated into silence and reported the violation she suffered.

“For eight years, our family endured humiliation, stigma and emotional trauma, not only because of the assault itself but also because of the public campaign that Ndifon together with his ‘boys’ led against us.:

Etim said their daughter (name withheld) had innocently believed that she would get justice then.

He, however, said it was unfortunate that Ndifon had his way and secured a report of exoneration from the police, and that their daughter was taunted as if that verdict would be the end of the matter.

He added: “We remember clearly how, after his reinstatement, Prof. Ndifon held an IMAGE LAUNDRY thanksgiving service celebrating his ‘exoneration,’ and sarcastically sent an invite to our daughter, in a malevolent bid to spite her and add insult to injury.

“In the church, Ndifon and his cohorts publicly dismissed our daughter’s account, portrayed her as a tool in an imagined plot, and framed our family as part of a conspiracy to destroy him.

“The officiating Reverend Father went on to corroborate Ndifon’s account and pleaded with him ‘as a child of God to please forgive us for lying against him.’

“But God Almighty can never be mocked,” he said.

According to him, those words and actions caused wounds that may never fully heal.

“They emboldened mockery, strengthened disbelief, and exposed our daughter to shame that no young person should ever bear,” he added.

He said Justice Omotosho’s judgment was a reaffirmation of what they already knew.

“The judgment affirms what we had always known:

“Our daughter told the truth.

And truth, though suppressed, cannot be erased.

“We are very PROUD of our daughter for that act of bravery which set the tone and pace on which others built on TEN (10) solid years after!!!

“It is impossible to ignore that some individuals and authorities who should have protected our daughter instead chose to protect the perpetrator.

“Their actions, and inactions, deepened her trauma.

“Choosing institutional convenience over truth, and reputation over the safety of a student, will forever remain a painful chapter in this story.”

Etim, therefore, thanked the ICPC “for stepping into a space where many feared to act.

“The dedication, commitment, professionalism and courage displayed by the investigators, prosecutors and leadership of the commission restored our faith in the possibility of institutional justice in Nigeria.

“We also thank every individual, within the university system, civil society, government, the legal profession, the media, and the wider community, who chose principle over pressure, who offered support when it was dangerous to do so, and who insisted that justice must not be denied.

“In particular, we thank late Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the then Governing Council Chairman of University of Calabar and Prof Ekpoke, the then Vice Chancellor of the University who were very pragmatic in handling the matter with clear objectivity by promptly suspending Ndifon despite unquantified pressures from virtually all quarters.”

According to Etim, this judgment is not only for our daughter and TKJ (the star witness who was given TKJ by the court to hide her identity).

“It is for every female and other students who have suffered in silence in the hands of Ndifon.

“It is for families who were intimidated into silence.

“It is for young women who had lost faith in the system.

“Today, we stand tall with gratitude, with quiet strength, and with renewed hope because hitherto, the University of Calabar and its management team had FAILED THE GIRL CHILD by condoning Ndifon with his animalistic activities over the years.

“We pray that this moment will inspire stronger protection for students and stricter accountability for those entrusted with academic and administrative authority.

“No family should ever have to pass through what we endured.

“Today, Habakkuk 2:3 concludes the matter and we return ALL GLORY TO GOD ALMIGHTY.”