Female students from the University of Calabar’s Faculty of Law on Monday, staged a peaceful campus rally to protest against the alleged sexual harassment perpetrated by Cyril Ndifon, the Dean of the faculty.
A video circulating on Twitter captured the event, showing a group of female students chanting protest songs near an administrative building on the university grounds.
While predominantly attended by female students, the rally also drew participation from a few male students.
“Prof Andifon, let the girls with big breasts breathe. Stop suffocating us,” read one placard displayed in the video.
Not the first time..
GOOD EVENING NIGERIA learnt thaf Cyril Ndifon had been suspended by the university administration in 2015 following allegations of raping a 20-year-old law student in his office.
He had contested this allegation in court.
The suspension was subsequently lifted approximately a year later, although no documented evidence of the professor’s exoneration was found by reporters.
Female students of the Unical faculty of law are currently protesting against their Dean, Prof Ndifon Cyril. He is allegedly notorious for sexually harassing female student, & they're saying enough js enough. These students are now being threatened with expulsion. Lend a voice. pic.twitter.com/LBmYAOHaRP
— KWEKU THE HUSTLER, COMMANDER OF THE HEADLESS MOB (@Urchilla01) August 14, 2023
We are Investigating – School Management
Florence Obi, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, addressed the gathered students later that Monday.
She assured them that their concerns regarding the alleged misconduct would be thoroughly investigated. but that the students would be required to provide evidence to back up their complaints.
“When you are talking about sexual harassment, you need more than accusation,” she said.
The Vice-Chancellor revealed that the students had officially reported their complaints to her on Thursday, and a group of student representatives met with her prior to the protest.
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In response to the demonstration, Mrs. Obi held a five-hour meeting with the faculty of law management to deliberate on the unfolding situation.
“A committee has already been set up to handle some other issues raised by the students,” she said.
Netizens React
The protest have sparked outrages among many Nigerians, with many describing the act as uncalled for and demand for thorough investigation into the alleged misconduct.
“If someone has the audacity to do this to potential lawyers one can only imagine the scale that has led to this impunity,” Aisha Yesufu, the founder of #Bring Back Our Girls initiative wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
@Nawas_masood, said “Women are meant to be respected and protected, Only animals threat them badly. Learn to love and adore them!”
Also commenting on the video, @_weyimi said, “That’s how you do it. You’d be surprised how many lecturers do this and the amount of victims out there. The harassment has got to stop.”
I am innocent, says Professor Ndifon
In response to the protest, Mr. Ndifon contended that the demonstration was orchestrated by Ben Otu, the President of the Law Students Association (LAWSAN) at the university. He accused Otu of being a pawn in a larger power struggle within the law faculty.
“Some lecturers are the real people behind this,” he told Premium Times reporter.
Mr Ndifon said it was only 100 level students who were involved in the protest and that the students were lured out on the pretext that they were going for a lecture.
“He (LAWSAN president) removed the placards and gave to some of the students to carry. Some of the students ran away.
“How come it was only the year one students who protested, year one students that I have never taught? Where are the year two students, year three, year four, and year five students?”
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“Ask the lecturers who are behind these things. I won an election. You should ask them if this man is that bad and unpopular, how come he won an election as dean with a landslide for first and second term?” the professor said.
“What have I done wrong? They say I run the faculty as an emperor. That is what I have done wrong.”
Mr Ndifon denied the sexual harassment allegation, saying he hardly knows the year one students in the faculty since he does not handle any of their courses.
Responding to previous sexual harassment allegation against him, the professor said, “at the end of the day, after all the noise, my guilt was that I tore a student’s (examination) script and gave her the opportunity to rewrite.”