Students’ explicit videos presented in court in UNICAL professor’s case

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) presented nude videos reportedly belonging to multiple female students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) as evidence against a law professor accused of sexually abusing students.

Cyril Ndifon, the suspended dean of the faculty of law, was re-arraigned on January 25 before Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Students of the university held a protest last year accusing the lecturer of harassing and abusing female students, an allegation he denied. He was suspended by the school and later arrested by the anti-corruption agency.

One of Mr Ndifon’s lawyers, Sunny Anyanwu, is also facing trial for allegedly telephoning a lead witness in the case and threatening her. Both men were granted bail on Friday after the one of the alleged victims completed her testimony, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Court material

During a court hearing on Monday, a forensic analyst with the ICPC tendered videos he said were extracted from two phones seized from the university teacher. The court had earlier admitted the mobile phones as exhibits.

The analyst, Bwaigu Fungo, told the court 16 graphic videos were extracted by the anti-corruption agency from the phones. Three of the material belonged to one of the victims and a witness in the case, identified in court by the letters, TKJ.

Mr Fungo said the videos were recorded by the unnamed student in September and sent to the professor upon his request. Subsequently, the lecturer transferred the lewd contents to a third phone number, he said.

Three other videos belonging to other students were played during the testimony, but the judge directed that only those related to TKJ should be rendered.

During cross-examination, Mr Ndifon’s lawyer, Joe Agi, questioned whether the videos were recorded voluntarily.

“The acts of TKJ were involuntarily done,” the analyst replied, according to NAN.

He added that from their analysis, there was a part in the videos where the student said she was not comfortable sending the material.

The judge adjourned the case to February 14.