Sexual assault, bribery: Suspended Varsity Don to be investigated by NBA

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has resolved to investigate the allegations of sexual assault against the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon.

A statement by National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Mr. Akorede Habeeb Lawal on Saturday said, the decision was reached by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NBA at her recent monthly meeting presided over by the NBA President, Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), with all the National Officers of the association in attendance.

Lawal said in the statement that, the NBA NEC has empanelled an ad-hoc committee comprising the 1st Vice President of the NBA, Mrs Linda Rose Bala, the Assistant General Secretary of the NBA, Mr Daniel Kip, Chairperson of NBA Women’s Forum and the Chairman of the NBA Calabar Branch, to investigate the allegations against the University Don.

According to the NBA statement, there was a recent media report of the attempted bribe of Justice Flora Azinge of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kano.

The statement reads, “The NBA has, by a latter dated 16th August 2023, formally requested his lordship to avail the NBA of further details in this regard to enable investigation into this allegation.

“In a similar vein, the National Officers also deliberated at their earlier monthly meeting over the unbecoming conduct of some members of the legal profession.

“Following the resolutions of the National Officers, the NBA has filed petitions at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) against Mr Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Ifunanya Excel Grant, a young lawyer of Aba Branch wildly known as “the baddest lawyer” on social media.

“Mr Yunusa-Ari was petitioned over his role in illegally declaring the result of the supplementary 2023 gubernatorial election in Adamawa State while votes were still being counted”, it said.

The NBA spokesman said, the complaints against Miss Ifunanya centred on her social media notoriety of posting pictures and videos of herself unclad and smoking marijuana and added however that, none of the lawyers petitioned or being investigated is deemed guilty of professional misconduct until the LPDC hands down its decisions after fair trial.

The NBA President has emphasised the need for lawyers to continue to be of best conduct wherever they find themselves, and reiterated that the present NBA leadership will not relent in ridding the profession of the very few bad eggs that may be found.