The University of Calabar has suspended Prof. Cyril Ndifon, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, following allegations of violating the institution’s laws and policies.
The suspension, effective from August 17, 2023, was conveyed in a letter signed by the University Registrar, Mr. Gabriel Egbe.
The suspension came after Prof. Ndifon’s response to a query issued by the University Management was deemed unsatisfactory by the Vice Chancellor.
Dissatisfied with his explanation, the Vice Chancellor decided to relieve Prof. Ndifon of his position as Dean and placed him on suspension pending an investigation by a panel.
The letter stated, “The Vice-Chancellor has gone through your written representations and is not satisfied with your explanations. She has therefore directed that you should be relieved of your position as Dean, Faculty of Law and placed on suspension while the matter is referred to a panel that will be set-up to investigate these allegations.”
The suspension follows allegations by students of the Faculty of Law, who staged a protest against Prof. Ndifon, accusing him of sexually harassing female students.
The protesting students carried placards with inscriptions demanding his removal due to alleged sexual harassment.
In response to the students’ allegations, Prof. Ndifon denied the accusations, describing them as lies intended to tarnish his reputation.
He attributed the claims to detractors who aimed to undermine his position after he won faculty elections.
This is not the first time Prof. Ndifon has faced controversy. He was suspended in 2015 amid allegations of raping a student in his private office.
Although he lost a legal case against the institution, he was reappointed as the dean in 2021.
