THE Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar – UNICAL, Cross River State, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, has denied being involved in any sexual harassment of students.
He stated this while speaking with a media outlet in Cross River, ‘Cross River Watch.’
In his defence, he rubbish the accusations of sexual harassment against him raised by some protesting students.
According to Ndifon, he pointed to his victory at the facility election as the reason naysayers are looking to defame him.
“Since I defeated some persons in an election that was keenly contested, to emerge as Dean of the faculty, it hasn’t been easy.
“I had skipped several booby traps.
“These allegations are baselessly masterminded by my detractor, who had vowed to ensure that my image is dragged into the mud just because I won the faculty elections twice.
“If you look at the placards you will discover that the placards have one person’s handwriting.
“Again, how come the protesters know that we were holding a meeting with the Vice Chancellor if it is not the handiwork of an insider?
“We were supposed to hold a meeting with the Vice Chancellor to enable us to iron out important issues troubling us in the faculty, while the meeting was ongoing, we were told that some students were outside with placards, protesting against me, demanding that I should be unseated.
“From what am told, LAWSAN President, Benedict Otu, cajoled some students that they were to go for a meeting with the Vice Chancellor at her office, only to dish out placards bearing false representations about the Dean, and asked his colleagues to chant slogans that berated my personality.
“This won’t work. Colleagues of mine who are bent on tarnishing my reputation just to destroy me.
“The question is where are the victims of sexual harassment?
“Can someone harass girls without the ladies coming out to raise the alarm that they were sexually harassed?
“For Christ’s sake, I don’t teach Year 2 B or Year 1 students, so I don’t know why they have chosen to drag my name into the mud.
“This was why I said earlier that the allegations were lies, cooked from the pit of hell, just to destroy a reputation that I had spent decades building,” Ndifon said in his interview with Cross River Watch.
This comes after viral video of UniCal students surfaced on Twitter protesting against sexual harassment, with Ndifon’s name primarily being mentioned.
“We are tired of sucking big breast;” “Professor Ndifon, let the girls with big breasts breathe. Stop suffocating us,” and; “Enough of law school list manipulation,” were some of the words inscribed on cardboards as the students laid bare their grievances.
A student also stated, albeit anonymously, how the school authorities threaten them from speaking upon against the vice.
While speaking to the protesting students, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Florence Obi, assured them that the authorities will investigate the allegations.
It will be recalled that Prof. Ndifon was, in 2022, accused of raping a female student in his office.
Following the inconclusive case in court, the lecturer was them reinstated by the school, in December 2022, and bagged a promotion afterwards.
