Sexual harassment trial: Prof. Ndifon, lawyer get N300m bail

On Friday, a Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail to Prof. Cyril Ndifon, the former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), who is facing trial for sexual harassment. The bail amount for Ndifon was set at N250 million, and he is required to provide two sureties of the same amount.

Additionally, Mr. Sunny Anyanwu, a lawyer co-charged with Ndifon by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), was granted bail at N50 million with two sureties. This brings the total bail sum for both defendants to N300 million.

Justice James Omotosho, in his ruling, stated that the court was inclined to grant bail in the interest of justice. He emphasized that the defendants had presented a prima facie case, justifying the court’s exercise of discretion in their favor.

Ndifon and Anyanwu were re-arraigned on Jan. 25 on an amended four-count charge related to alleged sexual harassment and an attempt to subvert the course of justice. The amended charge, filed by the ICPC on Jan. 22, accused Anyanwu of threatening a prosecution witness by calling her during the ongoing legal proceedings.

Earlier in the proceedings, bail had been denied based on the argument that the witness, identified as TKJ, needed to testify before any bail consideration. TKJ, a female Diploma student at UNICAL, concluded her testimony on Wednesday after cross-examination by the defense lawyer, Joe Agi, SAN.

Justice Omotosho, in granting Ndifon’s bail, specified the conditions, including two sureties owning landed property in the FCT with a minimum valuation of N150 million. Both sureties are required to submit certified bank statements to the court registrar, and Ndifon must surrender his international passport. The judge also mandated Ndifon to sign an undertaking not to interfere with the case and to be prepared for trial without causing any delays.

Concerning Anyanwu’s bail, Justice Omotosho granted N50 million bail with two sureties, one of whom must have property in FCT without a registered title. Similar to Ndifon’s conditions, the sureties must submit their bank statements, and Anyanwu must sign an undertaking not to interfere with the trial and be ready for prompt proceedings.

Justice Omotosho ordered an expedited hearing of the case, citing the discretionary power of the court based on the nature of the offense and health considerations. He emphasized that while bail is a constitutional right, it must be exercised judiciously. The judge concluded that the offenses in question were not capital offenses and that the defendants expressed readiness for the trial, counter to the prosecution’s concerns about potential interference with witnesses.

(NAN)