The news of the conviction of Prof. Cyril Osim Ndifon (a former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar), for sexual related offences has gone viral. The background story which made the rounds on 15 August 2023 was that Prof. Ndifon was accused of sexually harassing female law students of his Faculty. This led to a protest by the law students.
Though a consummate legal researcher, Prof. Ndifon’s research abilities transcended beyond law. He also delved into female private parts and the coital capabilities of some of his female law students. Prof. Ndifon’s thirst for perusing nude photos of his female students was unquenchable. He kept longing and begging for them relentlessly. This insatiable quest led him into one of the most upsetting sexual scandals within the university educational system in Nigeria.
The protest and a petition by one of the brave victims, Miss TKJ (not real name), eventually led to Prof. Ndifon’s arrest and prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/511/2023. The ICPC went after him in his capacity as a public officer.
Miss TKJ testified during the trial as a witness. She narrated that she was a Diploma student at the Law Faculty and that Prof. Ndifon took advantage of his position and sexually harassed her multiple times. He did this by causing her to send to him pornographic, indecent, and obscene photographs of herself. Other witnesses also testified against Prof. Ndifon.
On 17 November 2025, the presiding Judge, Hon. Justice J. K. Omotosho, found Prof. Ndifon guilty based on the evidence established. The Court convicted him, and sentenced him to five years imprisonment.
The Findings
In the 77-page Judgment, Hon. Justice Omotosho made some crucial findings which confirmed Prof. Ndifon’s guilt, and nailed him on the cross of criminal conviction. Let’s take a look.
- Prof. Ndifon was in the habit of requesting nude photos and videos of female students including Miss TKJ. At pages 52-53 of the Judgment, Omotosho J., said:
From the analysis of the 1st Defendant’s [Prof. Ndifon’s] phone, particularly his WhatsApp chats with PW2 [Miss TKJ] and other ladies, he was in the habit of requesting for pornographic pictures and videos from these ladies. In one instance on 23rd and 29th of September, 2023, the 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] asked PW2 [Miss TKJ] to send a pornographic video of herself. In the chat trail, PW2 [Miss TKJ] expressed discomfort in making the videos since she was not living alone. However, the 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] insisted and she had to make the video.
- Prof. Ndifon harassed Miss TKJ with the promise of helping her secure LLB admission which she desperately needed, having sought it for about 4 years. At page 54 of the Judgment, Omotosho J., found:
The 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] as Dean of the Faculty clearly had an influence over PW2 [Miss TKJ] as seen in his interactions with her. He constantly harassed her with the promise of securing admission into the LLB programme of the Faculty of Law for PW2 [Miss TKJ].
- Prof. Ndifon desperately tried to see Miss TKJ’s nakedness in a manner that proved his depravity. He also demanded oral sex too. Omotosho J., agreed with Miss TKJ’s testimony in this regard when his Lordship found at pages 54-55:
PW2 [Miss TKJ] testified that in her first encounter with the 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] in his office, he had tried to remove her trousers and she said she was on her period in order to escape his grip. To her surprise, the 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] asked if she was not going to give him her virginity. That the 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] put his hand in her pant and when he confirmed that she was indeed on her period, he asked her to put his penis into her mouth.
- Prof. Ndifon is a public officer being a staff of a public university established by law. The Court also found that he took undue advantage of his position in his dealings with Miss TKJ (at page 62):
I have painstakingly gone through the evidence and no doubt that the 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] indeed had undue advantage over PW2 [Miss TKJ]. He then proceeded to exert this undue advantage over her by asking her to give him blowjob in his office, touching her private parts, asking for nude videos, even when PW2 [Miss TKJ] told him it was not comfortable for her. The instances of this undue advantage are so much…
- Prof. Ndifon did not contradict the evidence against him. The Court found that “in his statement, [he] did not address any of the issues in [the] present charge against him.”
- Prof. Ndifon was not truthful. At page 64 of the Judgment, Omotosho J., stated:
…[He] was not a witness of truth. The 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] was manipulative and tried to distort the facts. He cannot be believed by any reasonable person including this Court.
- Prof. Ndifon was a sexual predator who destroyed the minds of young ladies. Omotosho J. had this to say at page 73:
It was indeed sad that the 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] as Dean of Law who is supposed to be the beacon of professionalism wherein young minds can learn from, turned himself to a sexual predator to destroy the minds of young ladies. His randy nature and shameful conduct instilled fear in the minds of the students in the Faculty. The 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] kept asking for pornographic pictures and videos from these young students with the promise to help them in one way or the other.
- Prof. Ndifon was an emblem of shame and disgrace. Still at page 73, OmotoshoJ., decried:
To make matters worse, the 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] was never remorseful, but tried to blame some other irrelevant reason for his arraignment. The 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] has brought shame upon the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, the University itself, the legal profession and his family. He is a disgrace to the community of learned persons and must be made to pay for his atrocities which the Court can only imagine. The society is better rid of the 1st Defendant [Prof. Ndifon] and his perverted mind.
The question is, with the 5 years imprisonment, is Prof. Ndifon actually being made to pay enough?
