By The Paradise
The former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL) Prof. Cyril Ndifon has raised an alarm over threats to his life.
The embattled former Dean disclosed this on Sunday 24th September 2023 to Journalists after attending service at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Akim Barrack, Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of Cross River State.
It would be recalled that about two months ago, students of the Faculty of Law from the institution staged a peaceful protest and accused Prof. Ndifon of sexual harassment and high-handedness.
These accusations have however garnered public uproar both in the local, national and international mediums. The most recent is the alleged current Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju Kennedy who is said to have tried to wade in.
The embattled dean while granting the press audience accused the Management of UNICAL of sending some men disguised as security officials to kidnap him during church service in Calabar.
According to him, he was in the church at about 8:18 AM doing his duty as a churchwarden when some men who claimed to be security officers came to arrest him but disappeared into thin air before the Rev. Father and some parishioners could question them.
He narrated: “Today, I went to church by 8:15 am, where I serve as a churchwarden and while in church much later towards the end, we got told that some individuals had come into church and went to see the catechist and informed him that they came to arrest somebody, and the catechist from what we understood asked for identification, they didn’t have any, he asked for search warrant they didn’t have any then the catechist asked them to wait for him to go inform the Reverend Father but on getting there, they have disappeared into thin air.
“From my discussion with the catechist, later I realized that the people complained that they had to come to church because they felt Akpabuyo is not safe. Here is my concern, if you are such a legal security agency why don’t you have any form of identification, especially in this era where you have cases of kidnapping in Calabar? I know last week Thursday or thereabout somebody sent a video to me, showing my office was sealed by the management of the University of Calabar so to me there is more to this than meets the eyes.
“I think this needs a security concern and I thought it is time to shout and talk about the threat to my life because that is what it looks like. If they are investigating, it should be done without threatening me. I haven’t threatened anybody and I don’t think threats should be issued to me.
“The manner the sealing was done it’s obvious; I am still a staff of the University of Calabar no matter what it is so why would they stop me from going to my office, what if I have my personal things I want to take from my office? So it is a bit shocking that people should go to the level of sealing my office.”
On why he has refused to attend the panel summon, Ndifon said: “That panel is unknown to my status as a lecturer in the University of Calabar, I am a professor of law and I think the right thing should be done, I’m not scared of appearing in any panel, I have gone to court, I have given my reasons, I have challenged the status of the panel, why should I appear before a panel, it is a bit laughable.
“They have already joined issues with me in court so let’s go to court and address it, but they haven’t invited me that is what I can say for sure.”
Ndifon however appealed to the state and federal government agencies concerned and well-meaning Nigerians to wade into the issue as it concerns a threat to his life.
“I am calling on well-meaning Cross Riverians, government agencies, all men and women of good conscience to feel very concerned about this little threat, especially with the state of kidnapping in Cross River.”
Some of the eyewitnesses at the church condemned the attempted arrest, saying the right process should be followed if he is guilty.